Changing Destiny
by Tanglepelt
Summary: The Akatsuki want to know if their goals are achieved, so they perform a jutsu that will bring them someone who knows the future. Enter Aoi Coulter, an American teenager who knows everything about the organization -In the process of being reworked- Old readers, re-read everything from the beginning, since I am editing all the old chapters.
1. Prologue

**EDIT 2012:  
Hello, everyone~ I'm back! Since my writing style has improved, I am editing and re-writing some chapters. This chapter won't be edited very much, since this is just the prologue, but there will be some changes. I will keep the original A/N just because it explains a lot.  
I will say that there will be some MAJOR edits and plot changes in future chapters.  
Also, because of a certain chapter, I had to rework "Tobi"'s entire character. Ugh.  
Enjoy this edited chapter~  
**

Hello there! Welcome to my first Naruto fanfic. I have been working on this prologue for awhile, yet I am still not sure if it is very good. I hope the characters aren't too OOC. *Sigh* I'm my own worst critic, I suppose… Anyways, before I start the story I will warn you that it has an OC. I also warn you that there is language *coughcough, Hidan, coughcough* and violence. This story takes place before they capture the One-Tail. It is a slightly alternate timeline, with Tobi being an honorary member while Sasori is still alive. I will be using Japanese honorifics and village names (ex. Konoha will be used instead of "Hidden Leaf Village", etc.), yet I will call the headbands 'forehead protectors' instead of the Japanese term. I will also use the Japanese spelling of Pein/Pain's name. Oh! I do not own Naruto (Oh, how I wish I did!) Now, on with the story…

Blah, blah, blah: Light Zetsu

**Blah, blah, blah: **Dark Zetsu

* * *

-Prologue-

Pein sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Every time the entire Akatsuki got together, there was always enough arguing to make the pierced man wish he was deaf. But as annoying as they all—minus Konan—were, he needed them for this particular jutsu. Pein finally opened his eyes to see what all the fuss was about. Deidara and Sasori were having yet another one of their "art debates", while Hidan and Kakuzu were arguing about the importance of money and religion. Kisame was snickering at both arguments while his partner, Itachi, observed silently, looking just annoyed as Pein. Finally, the Akatsuki leader's Rinnegan eyes rested on Zetsu, who was arguing with himself _yet_ _again_, and Tobi, who was childishly poking Deidara. Pein wondered how Tobi—or should he say Uchiha Madara, though he didn't know his real identity for sure—could act so stupidly without driving himself crazy. _He's a damn good actor, _Pein thought.

When the orange-haired man couldn't take any more of the arguments, he took a deep breath and yelled, "QUIET!"

Suddenly, everyone fell silent. When the Akatsuki leader gives you an order, you _follow it without question_. Pein internally smirked and continued. "The reason why I have requested for you all to come here today is because I need all of you for this particular new jutsu to work. This is the first time it is being used, and I want to—"

Pein was cut off by Hidan, who loudly asked, "What fuckin' new jutsu?"

"Yeah," added Deidara, "you never mentioned _that_ when you called us here. What if it doesn't work, un?"

"I don't wanna waste my chakra on something that won't even fuckin' work!" Hidan yelled.

Now Pein was really starting to get pissed off. _No one _talks to him that way, especially not the newest members of the Akatsuki. With a blink of an eye, he was behind Deidara and pinned one of the blond's arms behind his back. He decided to punish the Iwa-nin because Hidan was immortal and masochistic. Deidara, on the other hand, was not. He did not hate the bomber, but in order for the organization to listen to him, he needed to do something a bit dramatic. He pulled the blond's arm harder and hissed, "I'd apologize if you still want to use this arm!"

Deidara pondered this, trying to squirm out of the leader's grip. Pein could see that he was trying to keep the nervousness from showing on his face. _Trying but failing_, he smirked. Despite the younger man's cockiness, he was still intimidated by him, a fact which amused Pein. For emphasis, the pierced man yanked on the blond's arm even more; he could feel it beginning to dislocate from the shoulder. He knew that Deidara felt it too when he grudgingly replied, "Yes, Pein."

"Yes, Pein what?" asked the leader, still gripping Deidara's arm.

"Yes, Pein-_sama_," answered the bomber, spitting out the honorific with obvious distaste.

"Good," answered Pein. Thinking that the leader was going to let go of him, Deidara visibly relaxed. Before the blonde even realized what was happening, Pein had yanked on his arm once more, finally dislocating it. Deidara tried to hide his pain, but let out a small grunt of discomfort.

"Next time, remember who you are speaking to," hissed Pein, harshly pushing him toward his partner. To the untrained eye, Sasori looked apathetic as usual, but Pein caught the tiny glare that was meant for him.

"Wasn't that a little harsh?" asked Zetsu.

"**Maybe, but it was certainly entertaining,**" retorted the plant-man's darker half.

Answering Zetsu's light half, Pein replied, "It might have been, but it got all of you to shut up, didn't it?"

Both halves of Zetsu stopped arguing, while Konan gave him a glare.

Pretending that he was never interrupted, Pein said, "Anyway, as I was saying before, during one of Konan-san's trips into Ame, she found an unusual scroll. When she brought it back to me, we both opened it and saw that it was a jutsu I have never heard of. Apparently, it will bring someone from this or another world who knows the users' futures, as well as their successes and failures. Since we are soon going to hunt the bijuu, I figured we should know if our goal will be achieved. However, this jutsu requires a large amount of chakra, so I need all of you to help me perform it."

Seeing what had just happened to Deidara, nobody wanted to speak out, even though they had many questions. Instead, they just nodded, and Kisame asked, "When do we start?"

"Right now," answered Pein. I will show you the necessary hand signs. Once you have the sequence memorized, we must all perform it at the same time. Afterwards, we must all draw some of our blood and place it in this diagram I drew." Pein pointed to an elaborate design of swirls and circles painted on the floor behind him.

Everyone except Deidara nodded, and Pein took note of this. He knew that Deidara wouldn't defy him again, so he wasn't worried that he wouldn't participate. He made sure everyone could see him as he showed them the sequence of hand signs. He also made sure that Deidara could perform them with his shoulder injured. It was a bit painful, but he could. When everyone was ready, he yelled, "Go!"

Once they all completed the signs, they bit their thumbs and smeared the blood in the design. The diagram began to glow, but when the brightness dimmed, nothing appeared in it.

"Told ya it wouldn't fucking work," Hidan muttered.

"Just wait," said Pein. "It didn't fail. The scroll said that the person would not appear. He will find us."

"And how long is that supposed to take?" asked Sasori. "You know I—"

Pein cut him off. "Yes, yes, we all know you hate waiting!" _What is with him? He doesn't age and has all the time in the world, yet he hates to wait. I'll never understand him._ He continued, "The person should arrive here in about a day or so. Until then, we have to wait. Now that the jutsu is complete, you are all dismissed. But stay in the base. I'll send you out in pairs tomorrow to look for the person."

Everyone was about to walk away when Pein thought of something. "Kakuzu-san, please fix Deidara's arm."

The stitched man nodded, and slightly tilted his head when he heard Deidara's name mentioned without an honorific. However, he didn't say anything; it wasn't in his nature to care. He just motioned for the bomber to follow him to the infirmary.

Once everyone finally left the room, Pein massaged his temples. It was hard work getting everyone to focus, and he was physically and emotionally drained. He hoped the jutsu worked. No, he _needed _for it work. Besides wanting to know the future of the Akatsuki, he also injured Deidara, one of his own, for this. He was sure that the blond wouldn't trust him for a long time, and he didn't want it to be in vain. Yes, being the leader was hard work. He sighed, and then he too left the room, shutting the lights behind him.

* * *

So, what did you think? Was it good? Was it awful? I know Pein seems like a jerk in this, but he has his reasons. Don't hate him, lolz. Chapter One will be posted soon, which will focus on my OC.

This was my first time writing with honorifics; please tell me if I made any errors. I know having no honorific attached after a name means intimacy, but I also heard that it means that a person has no respect for the person he is addressing. I hope this is true, because I wanted to show that Pein was irritated with Deidara at that moment. I know he didn't say much that was offensive, but I wanted Pein to be a very controlling leader who wants everyone to follow his orders. I know it might be OOC, but it fit for this fic. On another note, I have no idea if you can still move your hand with a dislocated shoulder. But this is Naruto for crying out loud! People can summon animals and walk on water! I know that this particular part in the fic might be unrealistic, but I needed everyone to participate in the jutsu.

So anywho, reviews make my day! If you like the story (or want to offer some constructive criticism, but no flames), please review.

**EDIT 2012:**

**So, that was the end of the first edited chapter. I only added some minor details, and changed Pein's personality to make him a bit less jerky. **

**Also, I had a question. Should I keep Deidara's verbal tic as 'un', or should I change it to 'yeah' (since that's what it translates to), or 'hmm'? **

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter! The next one will be posted soon. **


	2. Chapter One: Ordinary and Extraordinary

**EDIT 2012:  
I added a scene to this chapter, to add some character to Aoi, but besides that, most of it was kept the same. (I just changed some phrasing to make it sound more like my current writing style.) **

Hello again! If you are reading this, than that means that you liked the prologue and want to know what happens next (or at least I hope you do). This chapter will focus on Aoi Coulter (my OC). I really hope that she doesn't sound like a Mary-Sue; I hate those. I know the title of the story is cheesy; I just suck at making titles.

I don't own Naruto, though I wish I did!

Special thanks to **Mmyself29**, who was my first reviewer. Thank you so much; your review made my day! Now, on with the story…

-Chapter One: The Ordinary and the Extraordinary-

Seventeen-year-old Aoi Coulter sighed as she walked into her high school's cafeteria. She scanned the room for her usual table, only to shake her head when she realized that all the seats were filled. Again. She wasn't surprised at this fact; she didn't like any of the people she sat with. She just ate lunch with them so that she wouldn't have to eat alone. Now that they had found someone to replace her, this was exactly what she had to do. Saving herself from the humiliation of eating alone in the cafeteria, Aoi left the noisy room and walked to the library. This is where she would eat whenever her table was full. The librarians didn't mind; she was quiet and never left a mess.

Aoi quietly unzipped her lunch bag and unpacked her lunch. Today's meal was a turkey and Swiss cheese sandwich, potato chips, and a bottle of water. She spent the first twenty-five minutes of her lunch period eating. Once she was done, she looked at the clock on the wall and saw that she had twenty-five minutes left. Since she had no homework from her previous classes, she pulled her sketchbook out of her bag and flipped it open to an unfinished drawing.

Aoi was an artist, which was one of the reasons she didn't have many friends. Though she was talented at drawing, her school was all about sports and looking attractive. She couldn't care less about sports, and with her straight, neck-length light brown hair, brown eyes, and short stature, her appearance was more on the average side. On top of that, she still had braces, which made her look younger than she already did. She also loved anime, especially one called _Naruto_, which was another reason people didn't like her. Very few people at her school liked anime; most people thought of it as being stupid and childish.

Aoi sighed again and started to finish shading in her drawing. It was a picture of Akasuna no Sasori, one of her favorite characters from _Naruto_. Instead of drawing him in anime style, she drew him realistically. Her entire sketchbook was filled with realistic portraits of the Akatsuki. She saved Sasori for last because he was her favorite character and she didn't want to mess the drawing up. Once she was finished, she put her sketchbook and pencil case back in her messenger bag. She saw that there were only five minutes left until fifth period was over, so she decided to close her eyes and daydream.

Of course she dreamed about the Akatsuki after just finishing a drawing of one of its members. They were her all-time favorite characters in _Naruto_, even though they were supposed to be the antagonists. Yes, they did kill countless people, but they were also outcasts, just like her. She didn't belong at her school; they didn't belong in their home villages.

Her eyes snapped open when she heard the bell ring. She gathered up her stuff, thanked the librarians, and ran to her next class. Sixth period, as well as seventh and eighth, went by fast, and soon the school day was over. Aoi rushed to her locker, grabbed all her necessary schoolbooks, and literally ran down the hallway.

Once she got outside, she stopped, the cold November weather taking away all her energy. This proved to be unlucky; a group of people approached her, condescending smirks on their faces. Though she didn't know them by name, Aoi knew that they were unpleasant; they messed with her many a time. Gulping, she gripped her sketchbook tighter, holding it to her chest. Because of the weather, she was not in the mood to be picked on; she just wanted to get to her car without any trouble.

Luck didn't seem to be on her side; as soon as she moved, the group circled her closer. Her stomach clenching with suspense, Aoi spoke. "Can I help you?"

The leader, a tall girl with thick blonde hair and a penchant for neon-colored clothing stepped forward until she was barely a foot away from Aoi. "Don't be rude; I thought you'd like some help carrying that heavy bag and sketchbook."

That seemed to be the cue for one of her friends, a gangly boy with scraggly black hair, to lunge forward and pull Aoi's bag off her shoulder. This caused the shorter girl to shift her sketchbook to one hand while the other allowed the boy to take the bag and throw it next to his feet. Hurting her arm wasn't worth losing a couple of textbooks and notes. While she was distracted, Neon Puke (Aoi nearly snickered when the nickname popped into her head) ripped the sketchbook out of her grasp.

Now Aoi panicked. Her drawings were precious to her; if they somehow got damaged, she didn't think she'd be able to create them exactly the same as she did before. "Give it back!"

"Oh come on, I just want to see your work; it can't be as good as the art teachers say." The taller girl carelessly flipped through the book, and Aoi's stomach clenched. When she stopped on a particular page, the brunette's heart sank.

"If you were trying to draw me, you did a hell of an awful job. My makeup looks so much better, and I wouldn't wear that tacky bathrobe."

"It's a cloak!" Aoi found herself saying, trying to reach for the book. "And that's not supposed to be you!" _Deidara looks so much better than you, anyway. _

"Don't deny it; of course it's me. I bet this is one of your strange fetishes, am I right? I've never seen you with a guy, nor have you seemed interested in any, so you must swing the other way. And now you're _drawing _me? You're such a freak. Ugh, this is embarrassing!"

Neon Puke stepped out of Aoi's range and held the sketchbook over her head while she used her free hand to rifle through her purse. Once she found what she was looking for, she smirked. As soon as Aoi got a glimpse of what she was holding, her heart nearly stopped. The blonde flicked a lighter, smirking. She held it under the sketchbook, laughing when the page started to singe.

At that moment, Aoi saw red. She was tired of being picked on, but she took it without a complaint, and without fighting back. Until now, that is. Her art was her life; she would not tolerate it being messed with. Narrowing her eyes, she ran at Neon Puke, pushing her as harshly as she could. She grabbed the sketchbook while the taller girl was surprised and held it tightly to her chest.

Neon Puke looked like she wanted to punch Aoi, but when she looked around, she saw that a teacher was in their line of sight. Shaking her head, she smirked again. "I hate to cut this short, but I don't want detention. See you around, freak." She nodded, and she and her friends walked away, disappearing into the sea of students and cars.

Shakingly grabbing her bag, Aoi willed herself not to cry, at least not until she reached her car. Forcing a stoic expression on her face, she walked, counting her steps to distract her. It wasn't long before she reached her destination, but by the time she got there, her suppressed tears had subsided into a numb pit in her stomach.

Once she got home, she walked up the stairs to her room and flopped onto the bed, the horrible feeling returning. She pulled her sketchbook out of her bag, terrified of how much it was damaged. Luckily, all her drawings seemed to be intact, minus some singing on the bottom of the Deidara one. _I can pass that off as an intentional effect. _Relieved that her artwork was unharmed, Aoi hugged the book to her chest. A few tears escaped from her eyes, but she wiped them away quickly. Now that everything was all right, at least for the moment, she closed her eyes, ready to relax. All she wanted to do now was watch _Naruto_, and since it was Friday, she didn't have to start her homework right away. Before she put in a DVD, she looked at herself in the mirror, trying to think of happy thoughts. She internally chuckled while she brushed out her brown hair. _Why the heck did my parents name me _Aoi_? That's Japanese for blue, and I'm not blue at all! _

Right as she thought this, she was reminded of Hoshigaki Kisame, the blue-skinned, shark-like member of the Akatsuki, and she snickered. She started to hum "Blue" by Eiffel 65. _Kisame's theme song._

Feeling a bit happier than she did before, she grabbed a random _Naruto _DVD and put it in her DVD player. As the title menu played, she realized this disk had the episodes where Sakura and Chiyo fight Sasori. Every time she watched them, she found herself cursing Sakura and yelling at the screen. She never really cared for the pink-haired kunoichi, but now she downright hated her after she and Chiyo killed Sasori.

She stopped the DVD when she heard her parents' voices downstairs. Thinking that it was time for dinner, the brunette quickly turned off her TV and started to walk downstairs. She stopped when she realized that her parents were talking about her.

"I just don't get it, I had plenty of friends in high school," said Rosaline, Aoi's mother. "Why can't she just be like everyone else?"

"I don't know, maybe it's a phase. She'll probably grow out of it when she goes to college next year," answered Julius, Aoi's father.

"I doubt it; she's always hated interacting with people, even when she was young," replied Rosaline. "I just wish she'd find herself a best friend, or even a boyfriend. That would show that she was at least a bit normal."

Aoi felt her face beginning to turn red. She knew that her classmates thought she wasn't normal, but her parents thought so too? She knew that she really didn't go out much besides the bookstore, the art store, and the library, but she didn't find that unusual. Some people liked to hang out with friends; she liked to read and draw. Alone. _Okay, maybe that _is _a bit weird, _she thought. _But still, this put me in a crappy mood, and I wasn't having a good day to begin with. I'll go to the art store after dinner. Getting a new sketchbook should cheer me up. _

Deciding her plans for the night, Aoi tried to make her face look normal as she walked down the stairs. "Hey," she called out, a fake smile on her face, "is dinner almost ready? I want to go to the art store to get a new sketchbook, and it closes at nine."

"Dinner's ready now. We're having lemon pepper chicken," said Julius. If Aoi didn't hear the conversation before, she would have been thrilled; lemon pepper chicken was her favorite. Now, it was just ironic that she would be eating her favorite food when she really didn't want it.

Julius and Rosaline tried to make conversation with Aoi, but she didn't feel like talking. After awhile, the two adults talked amongst themselves, leaving Aoi to eat in peace. After she was done, she cleaned off her plate and told her parents that she would be back in two hours. She went upstairs to grab her car keys and her messenger bag. After making sure that her purse was in the bag, she ran back downstairs, put on her coat, and headed out the door.

It was November, and naturally, it was cold outside, especially when one lives in the Midwest. Aoi shivered as she got into her car, hoping that it would warm up soon; she hated driving when she was cold. It was a twenty minute ride to the nearest art supply store; by the time she was there the car was toasty warm. She almost didn't want to leave it to go back outside in the freezing cold, but she wanted to look around the store more. So she reluctantly left the car, locking it behind her, and quickly walked through the parking lot and into the store.

She immediately felt her mood lighten when she looked around. She saw aisles upon aisles of markers, colored pencils, sketchbooks, and even sculpting clay. When she looked at that aisle, she giggled to herself. _Deidara would love this! _She walked back to the sketchbook section; that _was _what she was planning on buying, after all. She always got so distracted in this store. When she looked at the sketchbook she really wanted, she saw that it was really expensive. Aoi didn't like to spend money, so she decided to get a cheaper one; the paper wasn't as good, but she still could draw effectively on it.

Since she still had plenty enough time to drive back to her house, she decided to look upstairs; that's where the fabric and jewelry-making supplies were. Aoi was no good at sewing or making jewelry, but she liked looking at all the different colors and textures of fabrics and the different charms for jewelry. She was looking down the jewelry aisle when something caught her eye. It was a dark red jewel with silver wire wrapped around it in some sort of swirling pattern. It had no price tag on it and Aoi wasn't sure if it was for sale, but for some reason, the jewel called out to her. She had to have it. She decided to go downstairs and ask a worker to tell her the price. If it was too expensive, she could always ask her parents to buy it for her as a Christmas present.

She started walking down the steps when she suddenly lost her balance. She tried to keep her balance, but slipped down the rest of the stairs. She still clutched the jewel in her hand, unable to stop herself from tripping over the last step and hitting her forehead on the edge of a table next to the staircase. She felt a searing pain in her head, and soon she blacked out. But not before the jewel started to glow…

And that was the end of Chapter One! Sorry about the cliffhanger; I just thought that this would be a good place to end the chapter. I am also sorry if this was really boring; I wanted to really give a good description of Aoi and her life. The Akatsuki appear in the next chapter. If you want Aoi to be paired with anyone, now's the time to ask, since I'm not that far into the story yet.

I also apologize to Sakura fans. I don't hate her; it's just that most Sasori fangirls hate her. Sakura is all right (except when she killed Sasori, then I didn't like her for awhile, lol). She's not my favorite character, but there are other characters I hate way more than her, lol.

In anime, appearance reflects someone's personality. That's why I gave Aoi brown hair and brown eyes. She's supposed to be very ordinary looking. Most characters have one unique part of their appearance (Pein's piercings, Deidara's bangs, Tobi's mask, etc.) so I gave her braces to make her seem younger. This is to make her seem more socially awkward too.

I hope you enjoy the story so far! Chapter Two is coming soon!

**EDIT 2012:**

**I hope this made the chapter more exciting. I added the part where Aoi was getting bullied just to show that she was not liked at her school.**


	3. Chapter Two: Is This a Dream?

Welcome to the next chapter of "Changing Destiny"! Before I get into the Author's Notes, I'd just like to thank **Mmyself29 **and **Sasunarufan101 **for their reviews and feedback. You guys are awesome!

I decided that this story will have a pairing; Aoi will end up with Sasori. But don't worry; the romance won't happen for awhile, and when it does, the story will not be totally focused on it.

The Akatsuki are back! The real plot can begin now!

Oh, I don't own Naruto (sadly, lol).

*WARNING: Spoilers on how the Akatsuki die are in this chapter!*

-Chapter Two: Is This a Dream?-

When Aoi came to, she had a killer headache. She brought her hand onto her forehead to check for any damage. Sure enough, she felt a gash on her forehead with blood dripping out of it. She groaned to herself and thought, _How embarrassing! I can't believe I fell down the stairs! I must've looked like a total idiot! _Opening her eyes, she was shocked to find that she wasn't in the art supply store anymore; she was outside, on a small hill that overlooked a city. _Okay, this is weird. I must've hit my head pretty hard, and now I'm in a coma or something. Yeah, that's logical. Because there is no way that I would end up in a city that looks like…_

Aoi's eyes widened when she realized what the city reminded her of: Amegakure. She knew that Ame was a fictional place, so she assumed that she was still unconscious. _Pretty realistic dream though, _she continued to think, looking at her surroundings. She slowly stood up, and decided that she was going to look around.

Picking up her messenger bag that she surprisingly still had, she started to walk down the hill, holding her bleeding forehead. _If this is all a dream, why does my forehead still hurt? _She shrugged and rolled her eyes; she didn't understand dream logic. Just as she thought this, she felt something in her other hand; she realized that she was still holding the jewel she found at the store. She put it in her bag so she wouldn't lose it and continued walking.

When she got fully into the city and saw various people with Ame forehead-protectors, she knew that her first assumption was correct; she was indeed in Amegakure. She looked around, taking in all the sights and sounds. Aoi was fascinated by this village and, dream or not, she was going to enjoy her time here. She wasn't looking where she was walking, however, and bumped into something or someone. _Definitely someone, _she thought when she heard a grunt.

"Oh, I am so sorry!" she exclaimed, turning to face the person that she walked into. She did a double take when she recognized this particular person…

00000

Deidara was not having a good day. His entire arm was still sore from Pein dislocating it the night before, even though Kakuzu fixed it. To add insult to injury, the pierced man had sent him and Sasori to scout around the entire village, looking for the person Pein summoned. The bomber sighed as he thought of how the others just had to look around the base itself. Deidara knew that Pein knew he hated large crowds, but he sent him into the city anyways. For some reason, the leader didn't like him, and the Iwa-nin had no idea why.

He was broken out of his thoughts when he felt someone bump into him. Cursing under his breath, he looked to see who had almost knocked him down. The person was a short, brunette girl, and when she looked up at him, he noticed that her eyes were the same shade of brown. She said something that sounded like an apology, but he couldn't tell; she was speaking a language that was unfamiliar to him. For some reason, she looked at him with recognition, even though the blonde was positive that he never saw her before in his life.

"Deidara-san, Sasori-san," she said, looking at the two with awe. She then proceeded to say something else, but Deidara couldn't understand any of it.

"She has no chakra," said Sasori, elbowing the blonde.

"What, Sasori no Danna?" asked the blonde.

"Like I said, brat, she has no chakra. None at all. And she's not masking it either. It's bizarre," the redhead replied.

"Should we take her back to Pein, un? He said that we should look for someone with unusual chakra," Deidara asked, looking at his partner.

"My gut says we should. She apparently knows us, though we have never met her. If she is not who we're looking for, I could always make her a part of my collection," answered Sasori.

_His collection. _Deidara shuddered. He hoped, for her sake, that she was who they were looking for.

"Come along, girl," barked Sasori, pointing at the girl, who was just standing next to him the whole time, watching them.

She shrugged her shoulders and said something in her language. Guessing that she couldn't understand them, Deidara grabbed her hand. He immediately dropped it when he felt something wet and sticky. He looked at his own hand and realized it was covered blood. Taking a closer look at the girl, she realized that she had a long cut on her forehead. _That can be fixed when we get to the base, _he thought. Once again, he grabbed her hand and pulled her arm, trying to convey that she must follow them.

She must have gotten the message because she nodded and followed the blonde. Sasori followed behind them so she wouldn't try to escape. Not that she would; she seemed quite content, even though one of Deidara's hand-mouths was licking the blood off her hand. Either she didn't notice or she didn't care. _She's quite different, _thought the bomber.

Once they got inside the base, the two Akatsuki took her to Pein's study.

"Pein-sama," said Sasori, slightly bowing his head. "I believe we found someone who could be the person you summoned. She knew our names, even though we never met her before. She has no chakra at all, though, which is strange."

"What is her name?" asked Pein, looking at the girl.

"We don't know; she doesn't speak our language, un," answered Deidara.

"That can be fixed," answered the pierced man. He made a few hand signs, then placed a finger on the girl's mouth. "Girl, what is your name?"

"My name is Aoi Coulter, or as people in your world say it, Coulter Aoi, Pein-sama," answered the girl, who could now speak the same language as everyone in this world.

"How do you know my name?" he asked, tightly gripping Aoi's shoulders. If she was scared, she didn't show it, and Deidara gave her credit for that.

"I know all of the Akatsuki members' names, and more. I know everything about you," said Aoi, smiling. On her teeth were shiny, metal squares with a metal wire running through them.

_What are those? They look mechanical, _thought Deidara, confused. He looked at Sasori, and then back at Aoi. _Is she a human puppet too? _

"You will tell me what you know and how you know it," hissed Pein, grabbing the girl and nearly throwing her into his study. He went in after her, closing the door behind him.

00000

Aoi was surprised when Pein threw her into his study. Her forehead still throbbed painfully, and she was starting to doubt that this was a dream. Something weird was going on, and the brunette was positive that it had something to do with the mysterious jewel.

"Aoi!" barked Pein, snapping her out of her thoughts. "What do you know, and how do you know it?"

_What, no honorific? _thought Aoi. She didn't say it aloud, though; Pein was even more intimidating in person than in the anime and manga. What she did say was, "I will tell you everything I know, if you answer a question of mine first. How did I get here, Leader-sama? As you probably know, this isn't my world."

Pein nodded. "That seems fair enough. Yesterday, the members of the Akatsuki and I performed a jutsu that would summon someone who knew our futures to us. That person is apparently you."

"Did it have anything to do with this?" Aoi asked, taking the jewel out of her bag.

"Actually, yes," answered the pierced man. "I drew that same pattern on the floor, for the jutsu."

Aoi nodded. "You answered my question, so I will answer yours. I know everything about your organization. Your names, abilities, successes, failures, backstories, favorite foods. I even know your deaths, exactly who killed you, and how."

"Tell me then, if you know so much," demanded Pein.

The brunette nodded. "Sasori dies first; killed by Haruno Sakura of Konoha and Lady Chiyo of Suna. Hidan "dies" next. Yes, I know he's immortal, but he is decapitated and buried alive by Nara Shikamaru of Konoha. He is slowly dying of malnutrition. Next is Kakuzu, who is killed by Hatake Kakashi, also of Konoha. After him comes Deidara, who uses his C0 attack to blow himself up in an attempt to kill Uchiha Sasuke. He fails, because Itachi dies next; killed by Sasuke. After that, uh, you die, Pein-sama. Or should I say…_Nagato-sama_. You die bringing some of Konoha's dead back to life. Kisame dies next, letting himself get eaten by sharks he summoned instead of revealing information on the Akatsuki to the people who were interrogating him. That's all I know."

This was actually a lie. She knew that Konan dies protecting Nagato's body from Uchiha Madara, who was disguised as Tobi. She didn't want to say this to the leader yet; she didn't want to start a war between Pein and Madara. "However," she continued. "I do know that Tobi is actually Uchiha Madara, who is another leader of the Akatsuki."

"So you know Tobi's true identity, then," stated Pein.

"Yes," answered Aoi. Suddenly, a shooting pain shot through the cut on her forehead. She reflexively brought her hand to the wound.

"I will send you to Kakuzu-san so that will be healed. I must have time to think about this. After you are healed, he will take you to the meeting room. I believe that the others would want to know this information," said Pein.

"Yes, Leader-sama," answered Aoi, her teeth slightly clenched in pain.

"Oh, and one more thing, Aoi-san. Do not mention that Tobi is Madara to the others. Only Konan, Itachi, Zetsu, and I know. I'd like to keep it that way." Pein's voice was friendly, but Aoi heard the hidden threat. She nodded; she didn't want to be killed now that she knew this wasn't a dream.

"Good. Let's go, then." Pein opened his door and led Aoi out. He looked surprised when he saw that Deidara was still standing by the door.

"What are you still doing here?" he asked.

"I thought that I should take her to Kakuzu-san to get her forehead fixed, un. Sasori no Danna left because he got tired of waiting," answered the blonde

"Then take her. I have work to do," said Pein, pushing the brunette towards the bomber. She almost fell into him, but grabbed his shoulder to stop herself.

The blonde flinched, and Aoi was surprised. She didn't think she was that strong. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! Did I hurt you?"

"No, you just startled me, un," answered Deidara. Aoi didn't believe him. Something was up with the bomber, though she didn't know what. He seemed…jumpier than usual. "All right," he continued, "let's go to Kakuzu-san's infirmary."

The two walked in silence until Deidara asked, "What are those things on your teeth?"

"You mean my braces?" asked Aoi. She realized that ninja probably didn't go to the dentist, and mentally chuckled at the thought of the Akatsuki in a dentist's waiting room. "Braces make your teeth straighter. They really hurt sometimes though, especially when the wires get tightened and new brackets get put on and…" she stopped when she realized she was rambling. She really didn't talk to people very much, so she tended to say a lot when she did. "Sorry," she continued. "I bet I sounded stupid."

"No," answered Deidara. "Actually, what you said was kind of fascinating. What kind of world do you live in, un?"

Aoi explained her world to the bomber. She only left out that he and the rest of the Akatsuki were supposed to be fictional; she didn't think that he could handle that yet.

"So in your world, girls dress like guys, un?" he asked.

"What?" she asked, surprised. She looked at her clothes, which consisted of a blue t-shirt, navy blue zippered jacket, and dark blue jeans. "Actually, an outfit like this can be common on girls." She didn't say that at her school, most girls wore skirts and blouses. "Guys' outfits are baggier than this."

"Oh," answered the Iwa-nin. "In this world, girls usually wear a dress of some sort, with leggings or shorts."

She nodded, thinking of Sakura's and Ino's outfits. _I should probably get new clothes so I don't look like a freak here. _

"You don't look that freaky, un," Deidara joked.

"I said that outloud?" Aoi asked, embarrassed.

He nodded, and her face started to turn red.

"Not to be creepy here, but how old are you, un?" he asked, tilting his head.

"I'm seventeen," she answered.

"Really? I'd never guess," he replied. "You look so much younger, un."

Aoi sighed. "I know. I haven't grown any taller in four years. I've looked exactly the same from when I was thirteen. I even still have the braces."

"Like Sasori no Danna, un," he muttered, half to himself.

"What?" asked Aoi.

"He hasn't changed his appearance either," he explained.

"But he's a puppet; he's not supposed to look older," she retorted.

"How…did you know that?" the blonde asked, surprised.

"Like I said to Pein-sama, I know everything about all of you."

"Really, so that time I grabbed your hand, you didn't care that I had mouths on mine?" he asked.

"Nope, doesn't bother me a bit," she replied. "I'm used to being an outcast; I don't find people who are different from me weird. That'd just make me a hypocrite."

"So you know about my past in Iwa, un?" Deidara asked.

"Actually, your past is one of the few I don't know. All I know is that you blew up some people and then became a bomber-for-hire."

"Oh," replied the blonde. If Aoi didn't know any better, she'd think he was…relieved. But she dismissed this as being her reading too much into it.

"Well, we're at the infirmary. I have to go now; Kakuzu-san will show you where to go from here, un," said Deidara.

Aoi nodded. "Thank you, Deidara-san."

"For walking you to the infirmary?" he asked.

"Well, yes," replied the brunette, "but also for talking to me. Not many people do. I thank you for that."

With that, she knocked on the door. An extremely tall, stitched man opened it. "Ah, Pein-sama said you'd come. Something about a forehead injury?"

Aoi nodded, and walked inside. She turned around and saw Deidara wave to her, the mouth on his palm grinning. She smiled and waved back. _Maybe being trapped in this world won't be that bad, _she thought.

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And that ends Chapter Two! It might have been boring, but Aoi needed to prove that she indeed knew about the Akatsuki before Pein even remotely trusted her.

I do know that Deidara has a backstory, but I am altering it for the sake of the story. (Think of this fic as being slightly AU with an alternate timeline).

Also, Deidara will not be paired with Aoi. I just needed for her to make a friend, and Deidara seemed to be the obvious choice because he is the closest in age to her, and seems to be the most talkative Akatsuki member besides Tobi and Hidan.

Chapter Three is coming soon!


	4. Chapter Three: Tension

Welcome to Chapter Three of "Changing Destiny"! I hope all of you who are reading this are enjoying the story so far! In this chapter, there will be more interactions between Aoi and the rest of the Akatsuki.

*Warning, this chapter has language (not just Hidan this time, lol)*

I'd like to thank **c3xv-011-**, **Sasunarufan101, and MegaKiraraLover **for their awesome reviews! I'd also like to thank **MegaKiraraLover **for a scene that she suggested!

I do not own Naruto (obviously everyone knows this already).

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-Chapter Three: Tension-

Aoi was curious to see how Kakuzu would heal her wound. She didn't know he was a medical ninja; all she knew from the anime was that he stitched Deidara's arms and Hidan's head back to their bodies.

The stitched-nin's hand glowed green, like she saw Sakura's and Tsunade's do, as he placed his hand on Aoi's forehead. She felt her forehead get warm and gradually the pain disappeared. "Thank you, Kakuzu-san," she said when he was finished.

The Taki-nin only grunted.

"Um, Kakuzu-san, Leader-sama said that you were supposed to take me to the meeting room. He wanted me to explain to everyone why I'm here," said Aoi.

Kakuzu got up and walked out of the infirmary, with Aoi following behind him. Unlike when she walked with Deidara, she didn't even attempt to make conversation; Kakuzu didn't seem like the talking type.

Before long, she and the green-eyed man had made it to a door that she presumed to be the meeting room.

Kakuzu opened the door and gestured for her to walk inside. "After you," he said.

_Huh, who knew he was the courteous type, _she thought. She nodded and walked inside, with Kakuzu following her. Once she actually looked around, she noticed that the rest of the Akatsuki—minus Pein—was sitting around a meeting table, staring at her. There were two seats open; one for Kakuzu and one she presumed was for Pein. While Kakuzu took his seat, Aoi stood where she was, wondering what to do.

She didn't need to wonder for long. A couple moments after she arrived, Pein entered the room. He opened his mouth to say something, but he wasn't able to let out a word because someone else spoke. "So who's the bitch?"

_Hidan, _Aoi thought, mentally rolling her eyes. She would've known if he spoke even if she wasn't looking at him. The silver-haired Jashinist might have been censored in the English manga, but the brunette watched the subs and knew what a foul mouth he had.

Pein looked like he was going to kill someone. "This is Coulter Aoi," he said through gritted teeth. "She is the person we summoned last night. She apparently knows a lot about all of us. I called this meeting because I learned some disturbing facts. About your deaths."

"That's fuckin' bullshit! I'm immortal!" yelled Hidan.

"Don't be so sure," retorted Pein. He nodded at Aoi. "Apparently, you can die from malnutrition, though slowly."

"W-what? That's fuckin' impossible! Isn't it?" Hidan looked around.

"I believe Aoi-san can make everything clear," said Pein.

That was Aoi's cue to start explaining. She told them everything she told Pein, minus Tobi's true identity and Pein's death. She didn't want to embarrass the leader in front of everyone.

Once she was done explaining, the meeting room was in an uproar, with everyone talking at once.

"I got killed by _Uchiha Sasuke_, un? Damn Uchihas and their damn eyes!" That was Deidara. Aoi noticed that he was sulking. If it wasn't about his death, she would have laughed.

"Technically, you killed yourself, shit for brains," said Hidan.

"Uchiha made me! Thanks for telling us, Aoi-san, now we can prevent this from happening, un," Deidara replied.

"Yes, thank you, Aoi-chan!" exclaimed a voice Aoi would have thought was sweet if she didn't know who was really speaking.

"Oh! You're welcome, Tobi-san!" Aoi was nervous. She considered Madara to be even more intimidating than Pein, which was saying a lot. She hoped he stuck to his Tobi personality while she was here.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when Tobi pulled her into a big hug. She realized that he was extremely strong, and was hugging her to the point where she felt pain. _He's up to something, _Aoi thought nervously.

The masked man finally released her, saying, "Aoi-chan is so little! From now on, Tobi will call her Aoi-chibi!"

_Great, even the Akatsuki think I'm tiny! _She looked over at Kisame. _But then again, with someone like_ him _in the group, being only five feet makes me seem like a midget. _

"Ha, for once, you said something that was true, Tobi!" laughed Kisame. He looked back at Aoi and then laughed some more. "Aoi-chibi! That fits!"

"Now that she proved that she knows the future, Aoi-chibi can tell us where the tailed beasts are!" Tobi exclaimed. Everyone in the room suddenly became silent.

"Yes, do tell us, since we need them for our plan," ordered Pein

_Damn! I like the Akatsuki, but I don't want them to kill Gaara, Naruto, and the other jinchuriki! Damn you, Madara! _Aoi decided that she was going to have to lie.

"Okay then," said Aoi, choosing her words carefully. "I don't know exactly who and where they are, but I know the One-Tail is in Suna, and the Nine-Tails is in Konoha."

_ There,_ she thought, _I didn't tell them any information that they didn't know already. _

"We already knew that," said Sasori. "Don't you know anything else?"

She didn't want to lie to her favorite character, so she looked at Pein. "I am sorry, Pein-sama," she said, bowing her head and feigning disappointment, "but that is all I know. I'll tell you when I know anything else."

"That is also something I wanted to ask you."

Aoi whirled around, surprised that this person had spoken. "Itachi-san?"

The raven-haired man looked at her and continued. "Just how do you know so much about us?"

_Stupid Uchihas and their questions! _The brunette didn't want to tell them all that they were fictional where she came from. Instead she said, "Dreams. I've had dreams about all of you for a long time." That wasn't a total lie; Aoi had dreamt about the Akatsuki many times.

Itachi nodded, seemingly pleased with her answer. Aoi didn't miss the look he gave Pein, however, and wondered what it meant.

"I believe that this meeting is over. Aoi has told us all that she knows," said Pein.

"What do we do with her now, un?" asked Deidara.

"Can I sacrifice her to Jashin-sama?" asked Hidan.

"No. Let me turn her into a puppet," retorted Sasori. Aoi didn't know whether to be frightened or flattered.

"Enough!" thundered Pein. "Since Aoi-san has dreams about us, she might have more, and they might be about the biju. She will be considered an honorary member, since we don't know how to send her back to her world. She will stay in Sasori and Deidara's room."

"What?" asked Sasori, becoming microscopically irritated. "One brat is enough. Why must she stay in our room?"

"Because you two found her. And I doubt that she wants to stay with Hidan and Kakuzu," answered the pierced man. "You two seem to be the only people who don't want to kill her."

"What about Itachi-san and Kisame-san, or even Konan-san?" the redhead persisted.

"That's enough, Sasori-san! My decision is final!" Pein looked like he was about to explode with anger.

Aoi wondered why Sasori didn't want her to stay with him and Deidara. Sure, sharing a room with two guys would seem awkward at first, but she wasn't that unappealing, was she?

"Itachi-san, kindly take Aoi-san to her room," said Pein.

"Hn," said the Uchiha.

_The famous Uchiha 'hn'. _Aoi giggled mentally. _I was wondering when he would say that._

"Come along, Aoi-san," said Itachi. He was polite; Aoi had to smile at that. She followed the Uchiha out of the meeting room.

"Itachi-san, what did Leader-sama mean when he said he couldn't send me back?" asked Aoi. What Pein said before had finally dawned on her.

"It means he doesn't know how to get you back to your world; the jutsu didn't have instructions for how to reverse the summoning," he answered.

"Oh, okay." On one hand, Aoi was relieved. She was finally able to interact with people without them calling her a freak. On the other hand, she would miss her parents, and would feel terrible that they would worry about her. _That's the only downside, _she thought bittersweetly. _Besides them, I really couldn't care less if I went back._

She stopped thinking when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at Itachi, who had his Sharingan activated. The last thing she thought of before her vision went black was how she was glad that it was ordinary Sharingan and not Mangekyo.

Though she couldn't see, she could still hear. The Uchiha's voice sounded slightly sad as he said, "Forgive me, Aoi-san." She felt an intense pain in her head before she gave into unconsciousness completely.

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"I don't understand why _she _has to stay in _our_ room." Sasori was not happy. He didn't like change, especially when it was abrupt. He and his partner left the meeting slightly after Aoi and Itachi did; Sasori didn't want the girl messing with his puppets.

"Relax, Sasori no danna," Deidara advised. "She's not that bad, un. She's not all annoying like other girls. She only talks when she has something meaningful to say."

"Then maybe you will learn something from her, brat."

Deidara got the hint. He stopped talking before Sasori got really mad.

When the two got closer to their room, Sasori noticed that Itachi was leaning over an apparently unconscious Aoi, holding a hand to her forehead and the other supporting her back. Apparently, Deidara noticed this too, for he yelled, "What the hell do you think you're doing, Uchiha?"

"Calm down, brat," said Sasori. "I'm sure he has a reasonable explanation." He turned to the raven-haired man. "Right, Itachi-san?"

"Hn," grunted the Uchiha. "Pein told me to use Sharingan on her to see her memories, and to also see if she was lying."

"Is she?" asked the redhead.

"No, she is not. She told us everything she knew." Itachi paused for a second and then continued. "She really does belong here, though."

"What do you mean, un?" Deidara had finally cooled down enough to speak politely to the Uchiha.

Itachi answered, "In her world, she was an outcast. Because she didn't like people and would rather be by herself, reading and drawing, they shunned her. Like where we are, her world is also a cruel place for people different than the social norm. Maybe even worse. Her own parents are disappointed in her, even though she did nothing wrong."

Sasori looked at the unconscious girl. _So she's an artist? I wonder what her view on art is. _ He looked away, realizing he was staring at her, and continued to think._ She doesn't like people either? No wonder she looked so uncomfortable when Tobi hugged her. …Though, anyone would. _The redhead mentally slapped himself. _Why the hell am I thinking about her so much? She's a pathetic, weak girl who couldn't even fit in with her own world. _ Aloud, he said, "I'm going to fix the room before she destroys my puppets. Come along, brat!"

Deidara gave one last look at Aoi before he reluctantly followed Sasori.

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As Sasori and Deidara left, Itachi laid Aoi on her back, brushing her hair away from her face. He wasn't sure why she had not woken up yet; it had been more than ten minutes since he used the Sharingan on her. Normally, a person would wake up faster. _Something's wrong. Maybe it's because she doesn't have any chakra. _

He was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard footsteps coming down the hallway. He stood up, and was soon face-to-face with Tobi, or should he say, Madara. The older Uchiha looked down at Aoi, his Sharingan visible though the hole in the mask.

"I'm warning you, _Madara_, stay away from her," hissed Itachi. "She will not be a part of whatever you're planning. She's innocent."

"Not for long," chuckled the masked man. "She is an important part of the Akatsuki now; she will participate in a…special mission. I wonder though, did she really tell us everything she knows?"

"Yes," said Itachi. "I just searched her mind with the Sharingan, and she was indeed telling the truth."

"Really now?" asked Madara. Itachi could almost see him sneering. "If I find out otherwise—which I'm sure I will—she will be in for a lot of pain." For emphasis, he took a kunai out of a pocket in his cloak and slowly brought it across Aoi's neck, creating a shallow cut. As this was happening, the girl softly moaned, blood slowly dripping from the wound. "It would be fun to break her."

Suddenly, Itachi felt fury rising within him. _How dare Madara attack an innocent person! _"For the last time, Madara," he snarled, venom oozing from his normally unemotional voice, "leave her alone!"

"Fine, fine!" he held his hands up. "I will not fight with the mighty _Uchiha Itachi_."

Itachi narrowed his eyes. Madara was mocking him. But the masked man had backed away. He passed by Itachi, whispering, "If I find out she's been withholding information, she will pay dearly. Goodbye, _Itachi-san_." Just as soon as he said that, he was gone, disappearing into the shadows.

Itachi let his face adjust back into his stoic façade as he picked up Aoi, who was surprisingly very light, and carried her to Sasori and Deidara's room. He opened the door and placed the girl on Sasori's bed. The owner of said bed glared at him from his workbench. "On the floor," he stated.

"She needs to recover from the Sharingan. I think you can handle sleeping on the floor, Sasori-san." After he said this, the Uchiha left, leaving an angry Sasori.

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Deidara was not a stupid person. When Itachi placed Aoi on his partner's bed, he noticed the shallow cut on the girl's neck.

When the Uchiha left, the blonde turned to his partner. "Did you see that, Sasori no danna, un?"

"Hmm? See what, brat?" asked the redhead.

"There's a cut on Aoi-san's neck. That wasn't there before, un. What do you suppose Itachi did to her?"

"What?" Sasori looked at the girl on his bed. "You're right, brat. But when we left, Itachi said he only used Sharingan on her."

"How do you know he isn't lying, un?" the blonde asked darkly. A thought suddenly came to him, and his visible eye went wide. "What if he, you know, assaulted her?"

"I don't think so; she would look worse than this," replied Sasori. "I am not sure why he would want to cut her, though. Frankly, I don't care. She better not be bleeding on my bed." Suddenly having an idea, the redhead roughly picked up the girl and laid her on the floor. "There. Now she can bleed all she wants." Looking at Deidara, he continued, "I'm going back to working on my puppet. Don't even think of bothering me again. I don't care if she's dying of blood loss; you deal with it!" With that, he furiously walked back to his workbench.

_What's up with him? He's not usually this angry, _thought Deidara. _Why is this girl making Sasori no danna so upset? _When he thought of Aoi, he realized that she was still bleeding. _Shit!_ He got up and—trying not to disturb his partner—got a roll of gauze, scissors, and medical tape from his first-aid kit. He cut a small portion of the gauze and taped it to the girl's neck, covering the wound. _There. That's better. _An idea hit him and he grabbed one of the pillows from his bed, placing it under Aoi's head. He slightly smiled and went back to his own bed and started to play with his clay. _She's certainly making the Akatsuki more interesting…not that we needed it. _

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And that is the end of Chapter Three. Madara's such a little creeper, isn't he! I hope Itachi isn't too OOC; I just wanted him to protect Aoi as if he was her older brother. Just to clear something up: he knows that Aoi didn't say everything, but is saying that she did so Madara wouldn't target her. To late for that, though…

I have no idea if the Sharingan can see memories, but it can do so much else that I was like, "What the heck?" I think it would be cool, though.

I also hope I made Sasori mean enough. He seems like the type that doesn't show emotions, but when he does he is tactlessly mean because he is socially awkward. Plus, it's fun to make him mean, lol!

Chapter Four is coming soon, though I might update slower because I'm starting to write a research paper for English and finishing a project for Economics. Please continue to read, though!


	5. Chapter Four: Pain

Welcome to Chapter Four of "Chasing Destiny"!

Many thanks for the reviews from **ViciousViper15, MegaKiraraLover, Poshperson, narutofanhinatafan, **and **Sasunarufan101**! All of you make me so happy! I'm so glad people like my story!

This chapter will mostly focus on Aoi and the Akatsuki Artists (my nickname for Sasori and Deidara, lol). The others will appear, but they will not be focused on as much.

Naruto doesn't belong to me (Do I even have to say this?)

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-Chapter Four: Pain-

Sasori watched as both Aoi and Deidara slept. How he envied them; they could sleep soundly while it took him forever to fall asleep. Maybe it was because he was a puppet, but he could remember always being this way. The redhead decided that it was just a part of who he was. That didn't mean he was any less aggravated, though. He sighed and switched positions yet again. When he couldn't fall asleep, he turned on the small lamp he used to read with and started looking around the room. For some reason, he found himself staring at Deidara. The blonde slept on his side, his face completely innocent with sleep. The puppet master noticed something odd, though. He got up and walked over to the bed next to his. A closer look confirmed it. There was a long scar on the side of his neck. Sasori never noticed it before because his partner's long hair always covered it. The redhead narrowed his eyes. Deidara had never gotten a neck injury on any of his missions. Plus, this scar looked pretty old. _What happened to him? _he thought. _Why the hell do I care? _Even though he tried telling himself this, he realized he _did _care about his partner. On a hunch, he pulled back Deidara's blanket, revealing his exposed back. Like he thought, there were scars all over it. His eyes uncharacteristically widening, he put the blanket back into its original position and climbed back into his bed, turning off the lamp. He didn't know what Deidara's past was; he never cared to ask him. But judging by the age of the scars, he would estimate that he sustained the injuries when he was a child. And on top of that, the shape of the scars was too precise to be accidental. _Someone really hurt him_, he thought. _Why?_ With that, he closed his eyes and tried to get his thoughts to stop swarming around his head. Somehow, the puppet master fell into a dreamless sleep.

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Aoi woke up thinking that she had the most awesome dream ever. When she opened her eyes, she saw that she was lying on the floor of an unfamiliar room. She started to panic, but then realized where she was when she saw Deidara sleeping. _Oh yeah, this wasn't a dream, _she thought. She had the remnants of a headache, and remembered that Itachi used his Sharingan on her. _Damn Uchiha! _The brunette brought a hand to her neck when she felt a slight pain there. She felt the medical gauze, and wondered what had happened to her after she passed out.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when a voice snapped, "Well, girl, aren't you going to say something, or are you going to just going to stare at the air like a dead person?"

Aoi looked at Sasori, a slight blush appearing on her face. "I am so sorry, Sasori-san. I was just wondering what happened to my neck."

"I do not know, and neither does my partner. Itachi-san brought you into our room last night; when he left you were bleeding," the redhead replied.

"Did you bandage me? If so, you did a good job," asked Aoi, looking in the mirror on one of the artists' dressers.

Sasori shook his head. "The brat put that on you." He tilted his head, and looked to see if Deidara was still asleep. "Aoi-san, do you know what Deidara's past was?"

Aoi was surprised. The puppet master rarely said his partner's name. _Why does he want to know? He usually wouldn't care! _Aloud, she said, "I do not. Why did you ask?"

"No reason." Sasori turned away from the brunette. Clearing his throat, he said, "If you want some new clothes, I can take you to Konan-san's room. She will lend you some of hers. Then she will take you to breakfast."

"Sasori-san, I don't think Konan-san's clothes will fit me. They'll be way too big." Aoi blushed at what she was about to say. "Do you think…I could borrow some of your clothes…since you're the member closest to my height?" The brunette turned away from the puppet master in embarrassment. _Why the hell did I ask him that? He probably thinks I'm some sort of weird creeper now! _

"I guess that will be all right, Aoi-san," said Sasori, narrowing his eyes. "Why are you blushing, girl?"

"Umm, well," Aoi paused, trying to figure out what to say.

She didn't have to, for Deidara broke the silence when he fell out of his bed. Once he hit the floor, his eyes snapped open. Sasori looked incredulously at the blonde, eyes narrowed.

"Good morning, Aoi-san," said the bomber. Making sure that the blanket was wrapped around his upper body, he walked to his dresser, got his clothes, and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

"Does he always keep that blanket wrapped around him before he gets changed?" asked Aoi. "Or is he just doing that for my benefit, so I wouldn't see him shirtless?"

"No," sighed Sasori, pinching the bridge of his nose. "He always does that. He's probably just messed up in the head."

"I don't know. It looks like he was hiding something." An idea suddenly came to the brunette. "Did you know that Deidara has another mouth on his chest?"

"Yes, the entire Akatsuki knows that; we were there when he asked Kakuzu-san to sew it up," answered the puppet master.

_Then what is he hiding? _thought Aoi. The brunette was startled when she felt something tap her on the shoulder. Reminded of what happened with Itachi the night before, she flinched and closed her eyes.

"Girl, what is the matter with you?" asked Sasori. "I only wanted to give you the clothes you wanted." He held out a shirt and a pair of standard Akatsuki pants.

"T-thank you, Sasori-san," she stuttered, taking the clothes from his outstretched hands.

"You can change when the brat gets out. Then he and you can go to breakfast."

"Okay." Aoi nodded, knowing that Sasori didn't eat. A few seconds later, Deidara walked out of the bathroom, hair nicely combed and tied up in its usual ponytail.

"Bathroom's all yours, girl," stated Sasori. "I want to work on a special puppet, so the sooner you are changed, the sooner you and the brat can leave fore breakfast. I am a very impatient man, so _hurry up_."

Aoi nodded, not liking the irritated look on the puppet master's face. She hurried into the bathroom and locked the door behind her. She was sure Sasori wasn't one to peek, but to her, Deidara seemed like he could be the perverted type. Knowing that the longer Sasori waited, the angrier he would get, the brunette quickly stripped off her old clothes, only leaving on her tank-top, bra, and panties. She slipped the pants on first. They were a bit long and wide, so she cuffed them even more and tied the belt that came with them as tight as it could go. Satisfied with that, she put on the shirt. It was loose, but then again, it was a man's shirt. Running her fingers through her hair, she shrugged; it looked the best it could be without the help of a brush. She remembered that Deidara used one, so she looked around, finding one on the sink. She quickly brushed her hair and walked out of the bathroom.

Sasori's eyes were narrowed while Deidara looked like he was about to laugh. "You're wearing Sasori no danna's clothes," snickered the blonde, unable to hold in his laughter.

"What's so funny?" asked Aoi.

"Shouldn't you be wearing something a bit more feminine, un?" asked Deidara.

"Yeah, well Konan-san is the only woman here, and her clothes probably wouldn't fit. Plus, these are more comfortable than the skirt-and-leggings combo the women here always wear," retorted Aoi.

"Will you two shut up and leave already? You're starting to make me angry," said Sasori, looking dangerously irritated.

"Fine, fine, Sasori no danna, we'll leave, un. Come along, Aoi-san!"

With that, the two walked out of the room, not wanting to get killed by the puppet master.

00000

Sasori sighed as the two left, closing the door behind him. What he told them was true, he _did_ want to work on a puppet, but before that, he wanted to see what was in Aoi's bag. He had found it in the meeting room after the girl left the night before, so he brought it to his room to give it back.

He dumped the contents of the bag out on his bed. His eyes quickly perused the jewel, purse, and economics textbook, but lingered on the sketchbook. He remembered Itachi saying that she was an artist, and was curious about her work. He flipped open the sketchbook to see a realistic portrait of Hidan staring back at him. He looked at the picture in awe, noting how she got his cocky smirk just right. The redhead flipped through the rest of the sketchbook, admiring every drawing of his fellow Akatsuki members. His heart nearly stopped when he got to the last drawing. It was a portrait of himself. _How did she draw me so perfectly? _he wondered. She got his unemotional face perfectly, adding just the right amount of boredom and slight irritation to make it look like the redhead was staring at a mirror. _If she somehow preserved these, they would last forever. They'd become…eternal. This is true art. _He quickly closed the sketchbook when he heard a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" he asked, hoping that it wasn't Aoi; he didn't want her to know he was going through her belongings.

"It's Itachi," said the voice. "I need to talk to you, Sasori-san."

"Come in," the puppet master reluctantly replied.

The door opened, and the raven-haired man walked in. He shut the door as soon as he was in the room, saying quietly, "Can I ask you to do a favor for me?"  
"What sort of favor?" Sasori was suspicious. It wasn't like the Uchiha to act this way.

"I need you to look after Aoi-san. Make sure she's comfortable here." Itachi paused for a second, and then continued. "I also need you to keep her away from Tobi."

Sasori's eyes narrowed. Something was wrong. "Why Tobi? He seems to be the person least likely to harm the girl."

"Aoi-san scratched her neck when she fainted from my Sharingan. Tobi likes to hug; I don't want the wound reopening." Itachi slightly averted his eyes from the puppet master.

The redhead's eyes narrowed even more. The Uchiha was lying; he was sure of it. The cut on Aoi's neck looked too clean to be a simple scratch. The line was too perfect; it had to have come from a kunai. But, he needed something from the raven-haired man as well. "Very well. I will watch her, and make sure Tobi doesn't bug her. However, there is something I must ask of you, Itachi-san. Can you look at Deidara's memories?"

If the Uchiha was surprised, he didn't show it. "Very well, it will be difficult, seeing that he has a grudge against me, but I will do it as soon as I can. I too have been curious about his background. I take it you've seen the scars?"

Now it was Sasori's turn to be surprised. "How did _you _see them?"

"Hn." That was all Itachi said, and the redhead was now even more suspicious of him than before. "I'll see you at breakfast," he continued, leaving the room and a confused Sasori.

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Itachi was smug as he left Sasori's room. He really didn't know that Deidara had scars; he just assumed that he did based on the way the blonde would always cover his upper body. Now that he knew he was right, he wanted to know the bomber's past as well. One didn't think bombs were art for no reason. The Uchiha was also relieved that he convinced Sasori to protect Aoi. Since he didn't know Tobi's true identity, the masked man would keep up his immature façade around the puppet master.

When he got to the kitchen, he saw that Aoi was laughing about something with Kisame, and that Hidan was laughing along with them.

"Oi, Itachi, did you see this? Aoi's dressed in men's clothes!" Hidan took another glance at the girl and laughed even harder.

"Come on, Hidan-san, Aoi-chibi looks really cute!" Itachi's eyes narrowed at the sound of Tobi's voice. "Aww, look! She's blushing!" The masked man put a gloved hand under her chin and tilted it up towards his face. The brunette squeaked in either surprise or discomfort. "Hear that, Hidan-san? Aoi-chibi squeaked! Isn't that adorable! Tobi sure thinks so!"

"Yeah, well Hidan sure thinks so too," said Hidan, a hungry look in his eye. "Come over here, Aoi-chan."

Itachi didn't like where this was going, but he let Hidan grab Aoi's arm anyways, just so she could be away from the older Uchiha.

"What? Don't you like me, Aoi-chan?" asked Hidan, pulling the girl closer when she tried to squirm away.

"I-I'm sorry, Hidan-san, you're too close," stuttered the brunette.

"Aww, she's even cuter when she's scared," stated the silver-haired immortal. With that, he pulled Aoi even closer and shoved his lips onto hers.

"What is the meaning of this?" the voice wasn't yelling, but the venom in it was clear.

Hidan let go of Aoi and faced the speaker. "Sorry, Sasori-san. I was just having some fun. You know I tried to do the same fucking thing to Konan. Though Pein stopped me before I could even grab her damn hand." That part was mumbled. "Lighten up, you stupid puppet."

"I would 'lighten up' if you weren't assaulting a seventeen-year-old," retorted Sasori.

"Assaulting? Ha, are you fucking stupid? I only kissed her. I bet she's had plenty of kisses!" Hidan was starting to get angry.

"Actually, that was my first one," Aoi muttered, her face still red.

"What? Nice going, Hidan-baka, you stole her first kiss!" Kisame slapped him on the back of the head.

"Ow! What was that for, you bastard? How could I have known she'd never been kissed?" yelled Hidan.

Before Hidan or Kisame could get into the fight that they clearly wanted to start, Zetsu phased through the wall. "Can you please **shut the hell up? **We're trying to eat in peace, here! **Why do you think we eat in the common room?"**

That made everyone stop what they were doing; no matter how many times the bi-colored man did that, all the Akatsuki thought it was strange.

"Sasori-san, can you take me back to my room? I'm finished," Aoi asked quietly.

The redhead nodded, and the girl quickly ran behind him as he started walking. "Have a good day, everyone," she said pleasantly, though her eyes betrayed her cheerfulness. They were dull and fixed on the floor.

After they left, Tobi broke the silence. "That was fun! You should kiss Aoi-chibi more, Hidan-san! Did you see her face?"

"Shut the fuck up, Tobi!" yelled Hidan.

He was about to add something else when Deidara walked into the room. "What was all that about, un?" he asked. "I just went downstairs to get some more pancake mix and I hear all this noise."

"Hidan-san kissed Aoi-chibi, Deidara-sempai!" Tobi sang cheerfully. "Aoi-chibi didn't like it and her face turned all red, so Sasori-san yelled at him! Tobi thought it was cool!"

"What?" Itachi noticed his grip get tighter on the box of pancake mix. "Why the hell would you do that, Hidan? She's awkward around people, if you hadn't noticed, un."

"No, I didn't notice, 'un'." Now Hidan was just mocking the Iwa-nin. "I thought she was going to be like any normal bitch."

"Tobi didn't tell Deidara-sempai the best part: that was Aoi-chibi's first kiss!"

Now Deidara looked like he was ready to kill Hidan. "If it wasn't bad enough before, now you're telling me _that _was her first kiss, un? She's probably going to never want a relationship with a man now!"

"Disappointed, Deidara?" sneered Hidan. "Oh, wait. You still might have a chance since you look so much like a fucking _woman_!"

"That's it!" Deidara ran at the immortal, punching him squarely in the nose. He grinned as he heard it break.

"You're fuckin' dead!" yelled Hidan, holding a hand over his bloody nose, the other one grabbing Deidara's shirt.

Before this could escalade further, Itachi quickly stepped in between them. Now was his chance, while Deidara's guard was down.

"What the hell, Itachi! Get out of the way!" The blonde looked at the Uchiha, who activated his Sharingan. "Wait, what are you—" Before he could finish his sentence, Deidara's legs buckled as he fell unconscious, the rest of the Akatsuki staring at Itachi…

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Sorry for the cliffhanger! I just wanted to save Deidara's backstory for the next chapter. Just to make it clearer, since some people asked, Aoi only knows information up to the part where Sasuke kills Danzo. She just knows about the deaths of Kisame and Konan because she looked them up. I had her only know up to this part because it made things less complicated. I hope this helps.

I hope I made Hidan in character; he seems like the type that would flirt with any semi-attractive female.

Just so you won't be confused, Pein, Konan, and Kakuzu were not at breakfast. They were somewhere else when the scene takes place.

This isn't my best chapter; I hope it didn't suck too much.


	6. Chapter Five: Questions

Welcome to Chapter Five! The last chapter wasn't my best, so I will try to make this chapter the best it can be! I hope everyone enjoys it!

*Warning, this chapter contains violence (more than usual) and language*

Many thanks go to **MegaKiraraLover, narutofanhinatafan, Akatsuki's a bang, Sasunarufan101, **and **story-teller666 **for their awesome reviews. This will be the last time I will be listing specific usernames in my thank you portion of the author's notes. This is because more people than I thought are reviewing and I don't want to leave anyone out. I will be thanking everyone for their reviews at the beginnings of chapters still, just in a more general way.

I still don't own Naruto (duh!)

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-Chapter Five: Questions-

As soon as Itachi looked into Deidara's eyes, he felt himself being sucked into the blonde's mind. When the Iwa-nin was completely unconscious, he mentally whispered, "What is your past in Iwagakure?" There was a small groan from the bomber, meaning that he was resisting the Uchiha's genjutsu. Itachi repeated his question, mentally shouting it instead of whispering like he did previously. This time, it worked, and he was pulled into one of Deidara's memories.

_"You worthless piece of shit! This is the third time you stayed after school without telling me! I prepared a nice dinner for you, but you missed it, _again!_" The voice belonged to a tall, black-haired man, face contorted with rage._

_ "I-I'm sorry, Otou-san! I didn't mean to, un! I was working on a special project! I must've lost track of the time!" A small, blonde child cowered in a corner of the living room._

_ "A 'special project'? Probably one of your worthless sculptures you create from those freakish mouths on your hands!" _

_ "It is special, un! Don't mock my art!" the blonde's eyes narrowed, all trace of the stutter gone. _

_ "And that damn speech impediment! What the hell is wrong with you?" roared the man. "I'm glad I'm not your father! Too bad you didn't get killed in that robbery with your parents! You're worthless, Deidara!"_

_ Tears pricked at the boy's eyes. They started to stream down his face, and the man noticed this. "Oh, so now you're crying? Be a man! You already look enough like a girl with that long hair of yours!" He suddenly ran at the blonde, grabbing his hair and pulling it so Deidara looked at him. "You're pathetic!" he spat, dragging the blonde by his hair and slamming him against the wall. He let go when the boy sank to the floor, shuddering. When Deidara tried to run out of the room, the man grabbed his arms and harshly pulled them behind his back. "You won't be creating any art for a long time!" he smirked, placing his foot against his back. With one jerk he pulled the blonde's arms further back while simultaneously kicking him forward. There were two popping sounds as both his arms dislocated from his shoulders. Deidara let out a gasp of pain as the man let go of him, more tears streaming down his face._

Itachi felt sick. He wanted to look away, but found that he couldn't, physically and mentally.

_The man grabbed Deidara by his hair once more and drew a kunai from his vest pocket. "I'm going to put you out of your misery!" he hissed, sliding the kunai across the side of his neck. Before he could finish the cut, the blonde kicked out, striking the man's ankle. He tried to cut Deidara's neck again, but the boy succeeded in twisting out of his tormentor's grasp. The man retaliated by slashing his weapon down the blonde's back three times. Using what little strength he possessed, Deidara ran up the stairs to his room. He found his bag of special clay and grabbed a piece of it with his mouth, since his arms were of no use. He spat the clay into one of his palm-mouths. He watched as it painfully chewed the clay and spat out a small owl. With a last burst of adrenaline, he tossed the sculpture into his room just as the man burst through the door. Jumping out the open window behind him, Deidara forced his fingers to form a hand sign. "Katsu," he whispered, landing painfully on his knees. He heard his sculpture explode, and saw his room burst into flames…_

Itachi found himself standing in the kitchen of the Akatsuki lair.

"Damn, what was that for, Uchiha? I wanted to pound the little bastard for breaking my nose!" Hidan glared at him, a hand still on his bleeding nose.

_Only a second had passed in reality, _thought the raven-haired man. He looked at the unconscious Deidara. He decided that even though they would never be friends, he understood the bomber more. "Can someone put Deidara-san on the couch in the common room? He should wake up soon."

"We'll do it, Itachi-san," said Zetsu's white half.

"**Yes,**" replied his darker half. "**He looks delicious.**"

The bi-colored man smacked himself in the back of the head. "Baka!"

**"Jeez, sorry!**" Once his two halves stopped arguing, Zetsu picked up the blonde and brought him into the next room. After he was finished, he phased through the wall.

"Well, I think breakfast is fuckin' over now," Hidan stated. "Kisame, it's your turn to do the dishes."

"Why me?" asked the shark-nin. "Hidan started all of this!"

"Fine!" said Itachi, who was starting to get a headache. "_Both_ of you do it!"

The two knew better than to argue with the Uchiha. They nodded and started to clear the table.

_Now, to find Sasori-san, _he thought, leaving the kitchen.

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Sasori watched as Aoi sat on his partner's bed, drawing in her sketchbook. He was technically supposed to be working on one of his puppets, but he couldn't help but stare. Her movements were graceful, the pencil moving in both long and short strokes across the page. Her face was narrowed in concentration, her eyes focusing on nothing but the drawing in front of her. _She looks…beautiful, _he thought, a warm feeling rising in his chest. He had never felt this way before, and didn't like it. He turned back to his puppet, pouring all his focus into it.

"Sasori-san?" Aoi asked, putting her drawing down.

"Look, girl," the redhead said, choosing his words carefully. "Hidan was just toying with you. He didn't mean anything by it."

"I know that," said the brunette, rolling her eyes. "It just caught me by surprise, that's all. No guy's ever wanted to be romantic with me before. I actually should be flattered. But, I think I'm going to stay away from Hidan-san for awhile. I don't really like people getting that close to me."

"Why?" the puppet master found himself asking.

"I'm not used to it. I've been alone for so long; now I'm just awkward towards people."

"What about your parents?" asked Sasori. _Shut up already! Why should you care about her stupid life?_

Aoi sighed. "They're nice, but they don't understand me. All they see is an outcast. They can't understand why I don't like to be around others or why I like to draw. After a while, they just gave up on me. They're so disappointed they didn't get a normal daughter." Her voice turned cold at that sentence, and Sasori noticed her eyes were filled with loneliness. "I'm actually better off here," she continued. All of you give me more attention than I ever got in my world. It's actually kind of funny."

When she laughed, it wasn't a pleasant sound. It was hollow, and didn't sound right coming out of her mouth. Sasori didn't like it. He understood too well, though, that loneliness cuts deeper than any weapon ever could. The redhead knew that behind her happy façade, Aoi was broken inside. _We're a lot alike_, he thought, narrowing his eyes.

"Can I ask you something, Sasori-san?" Aoi asked.

"Go ahead, but make it quick, I hate waiting." That came out as more of a snap than he intended, but he didn't apologize; the girl was messing with his feelings, and he wasn't sure he wanted emotions back.

The brunette nodded. "How do you sleep?"

"What kind of question is that?" snapped the redhead. _The brat asked the same thing when we became partners._

"Well, I thought since you were a puppet and you didn't eat, you didn't need sleep either," answered Aoi.

"Of course I need sleep; my heart is still human, you know," barked Sasori. "It gets fatigued after awhile. You should know that since you know everything about me!"

The redhead realized too late that he had gone too far. The girl went silent and looked down at her feet. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound like such a know-it-all before. I don't know everything about you."

Sasori answered hesitantly. "It's okay…Aoi-san." _There, I said her name. _

Someone knocked on the door, and both Aoi and Sasori looked up.

"Itachi-san," explained Sasori. "He's the only one—besides Kakuzu—who's polite enough to knock." To the door he said. "You can come in, Itachi-san."

The door swung open, revealing the raven-haired Uchiha. "I found out about what you asked me this morning." He walked into the room and shut the door

"Good," nodded the redhead. He looked at Aoi. "Can she stay?" The girl just looked at both of them, confused.

"She might as well," answered Itachi. "I don't think it's a good idea for her to be roaming the base alone. She might get lost."

_No, that's not it. There's something else, _thought Sasori.

"What are you talking about?" asked Aoi.

"The brat's past. You should probably shut up and listen to Itachi-san," snapped the puppet master.

"Deidara-san had a…a rough childhood," said Itachi, his voice quieting. "His parents were killed in some sort of robbery, and he ended up living with a man who beat him every time he was late coming home from school, and hated him because of his kekkei-genkai. One night, after he was late again, the man tried to kill him. Deidara-san escaped and ended up killing the man with one of his bombs."

"How old was he?" asked Sasori, his voice betraying no emotion.

"He looked to be about eleven," replied the Uchiha.

The puppet master nodded. "Thank you, Itachi-san."

Itachi leaned closer to him and whispered, "I presume you'll keep your part of the deal?"

"Fine," said the redhead. He looked at Aoi, who returned to her drawing. "Why are you so intent on protecting her?" This was whispered.

"She reminds me of someone. I don't want her to lose her innocence. Not yet."

"She's not as weak as you think she is; she can be cold when she wants to be," retorted Sasori.

"Goodbye, Sasori-san," said the Uchiha, leaving the room.

00000

Itachi was walking to Pein and Konan's room. He had to talk to them about something strange he saw the night before. When he got to their room, he knocked on the door. "Pein-sama, Konan-san? May I come in?"

"Enter, Itachi-san," stated Pein.

Itachi walked into his leader's room. Konan was sitting on her bed, reading a scroll, while Pein was sitting at his table, going over some paperwork.

"I discovered something interesting last night," said the raven-haired man.

"What is it, Itachi-san? Does it have something to do with Aoi-san?" asked the orange-haired man.

"Hn," answered Itachi. "I was walking down the hallway by Tobi ,er, Madara, and Zetsu-san's room when I heard the former speaking. When I looked into his room—without him noticing me, of course—I noticed that Zetsu-san was not there and that Madara was speaking to some sort of bird. He said something to it about Aoi-san having no chakra, and being "perfect" for something. I didn't want him to see me, so I left before I could hear anything else."

"So you are saying that Madara is in contact with someone outside the Akatsuki, and this person wants Aoi-san for something?" asked Pein.

Itachi nodded.

"I don't like it. What should we do?" asked Konan.

"I already asked Sasori-san to keep an eye on her," answered Itachi. "Deidara-san will also probably look after her, since he seems to like her."

"I will look after her as well," decided Konan. "I will watch her from the shadows, and come to her aid if she needs it."

"Good thinking, Konan-san," said Pein. "Aoi-san will probably feel most comfortable with you, since you are also a woman. You should start to talk to her at lunch today."

The blue-haired origami artist nodded. "Do you want me to try to find out more info about Madara's mysterious contact?"

"Yes," replied the pierced man. "But please, do be careful, Konan-san. I would hate to lose you."

Konan nodded again, and Itachi felt slightly relieved. But something was still nagging at the back of his mind.

00000

Madara smirked as he listened to Pein, Itachi, and Konan discuss what to do to protect Aoi from him. _It's rather hilarious. They think that they're controlling everything, when in actuality I am pulling the strings. _The older Uchiha chucked. He had known Itachi was by his door when he was talking to his contact's bird, who recorded everything. He didn't care if Itachi had seen him and the bird; he'll never find out who he was contacting. Not until it was too late. _Plus, it's fun to mess with people. _He thought of Deidara, whom he loved to torment with his Tobi persona. _Especially him. I love toying with _his _mind_. He thought of what he had planned and smirked beneath his mask. _Soon. It will all happen soon. _Unlike Sasori, Madara was patient. He would wait until the time was right…

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And that's the end of Chapter Five! Deidara's backstory is finally revealed. I know it's not the real one, but I wanted to make his sad and dramatic. I hope it sounded okay.

Who is Madara's mysterious contact? I know, but I'm not revealing who it is just yet. What are some of your guesses?

I hope Pein and Konan (Konan especially) are not OOC. I took Konan to be a person who can be fiercely protective. She also hates Madara.

And speaking of the masked man, I hope I made him creepy enough.

I think this was better than the last chapter (I hope).


	7. Chapter Six: Suspicions

Welcome to Chapter Six! This chapter takes place a week later than the last one. This is because I wanted time to progress a bit faster.

Thank you to all who reviewed; all of you make my day, and I'm so glad that people actually like this story.

*Warning: This chapter has violence, frightening moments, and language*

I don't own Naruto (If I did, the Akatsuki would have never died, lol)

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-Chapter Six: Suspicions-

A week had passed since Aoi had been summoned to the Akatsuki lair. She was starting to feel at home with the S-Class missing-nin, and was surprised at the fact. Yes, she liked the Akatsuki, but she'd never imagined she'd feel comfortable around anyone. It felt nice to actually have a decent conversation with someone. Sure, she was still unsure of Madara, but as long as he kept up his Tobi persona around her, she was fine with him. She considered Deidara and Sasori to be her closest friends, though Konan was also kind and a good listener.

The brunette was sitting on the floor in hers, Deidara's and Sasori's room, drawing yet again. Something dawned on her, and she put her pencil down and closed the sketchbook. "Hey, Sasori-san? What day is it today?"

The redhead looked up from working on his puppet. "It is November 26. Why do you ask?"

Aoi's eyes slightly widened. "November 26? That means…I missed Thanksgiving."

"What is 'Thanksgiving'?" asked Sasori.

"It's a holiday where someone's entire family gets together to eat a huge meal and be thankful for the year," Aoi explained. "It's on the last Thursday of November, which was the twenty-fifth. Yesterday. Though I wouldn't have missed much; I would have celebrated it with just my parents this year." She laughed hollowly. "My birthday was also yesterday. I'm eighteen now."

"You are upset? I thought people were supposed to be happy on their birthday?" asked the puppet master, his eyes narrowing in confusion.

"I've never cared for my birthday. It's the same thing every year: my parents and I go out to dinner, and afterwards I open some gifts that I never even want. In a sense, instead of being homesick, I'm relieved that I can finally have a birthday where I can just do what _I _want to do." The brunette giggled a bit.

"What exactly do you want to do?" asked Sasori.

"I just want to stay here and draw all day. It's relaxing," replied Aoi.

Sasori curtly nodded. The brunette realized that he probably knew the feeling, since he loved to work on his puppets so much.

Aoi went back to drawing, while the redhead went back to working on his puppet. The peaceful silence was broken when Deidara walked out of the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him. He was wearing nothing but his Akatsuki pants, and his hair was still wet from the shower he just took. Aoi looked away, blushing. She still wasn't used to seeing shirtless guys, even after all the time she spent living at the base with the nearly all-male Akatsuki.

"Like what you see?" joked Deidara.

"Shut up!" Muttered Aoi. She noticed that Sasori's eyes slightly narrowed, but didn't think anything of it.

When the puppet master first confronted Deidara about the scars on his back, he was extremely angry at both Sasori and Itachi. He did feel relieved that he didn't have to hide them anymore, so he was soon back to his normal self after a day or two. He still never looks Itachi in the eye, though, afraid that he would use Sharingan on him again. Most of the time, he tries to ignore them.

"Come on, Aoi-san! You don't want to miss dinner!" called the blonde, hastily putting on a shirt. "Kisame's making it tonight; it should be better than the crap Hidan usually cooks for us, un."

"Where's Hidan-san?" Aoi asked. She hadn't seen the immortal for awhile, and was curious about where he was.

"Oh, he and Kakuzu-san are on a mission right now, un," answered Deidara. He noticed Aoi's alarmed look and quickly continued. "They're just gathering information. I don't believe they'll die any time soon, especially after you told them what to look out for, un."

The brunette was relieved. Even though Hidan had stolen her first kiss, she was beginning to get comfortable around the silver-haired Jashinist. Kakuzu might have been a greedy miser in the manga, but he had been nothing but polite to her. She didn't want anything bad to happen to the pair.

"Come on, let's go, un! I don't want all the good food to be gone!" said the Iwa-nin, tapping his feet.

"All right, all right, Deidara-san!" exclaimed Aoi. She and the blonde took off running down the hallway, heading toward the kitchen.

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Once they got there, they saw that Kisame had prepared lemon pepper chicken.

"How did you know that's my favorite food?" asked Aoi.

"Well, since you told me that a couple days ago, I asked Kisame if he could make it for tonight's meal, un," explained Deidara.

Touched, the brunette started to blush. "No one's ever done anything like that for me before. Especially not on my birthday. Thank you very much!"

"It's your birthday? That makes this even better, un. I hope you're not getting homesick." The bomber looked concernedly at Aoi.

"I know I should be," replied the girl, "but I'm not. This place makes me feel more at home than my world ever did." She looked straight into Deidara's visible eye. "That must make me a horrible person, doesn't it?"

The blonde was, for once, speechless. He really expected Aoi to be homesick, seeing that this world was so different from hers, and because she was stuck living with S-Class criminals. "No," he finally said. "You are not a horrible person at all, un."

Aoi nodded, shyly looking down at the floor. "Thanks, Deidara-san."

"Dinner's ready!" Kisame's voice boomed. Oddly enough, Deidara didn't notice the shark-nin standing behind them. _Weird, _he thought.

Everyone sat in their usual seats: Pein and Konan sat next to each other, Kisame sat across from Itachi, and Aoi was sandwiched between the Uchiha and Deidara. Tobi, of course, sat next to Deidara, while Zetsu sat across from him. Hidan and Kakuzu's seats were empty, reminding Deidara of how much quieter the meal would be without the immortal's constant swearing.

The blonde was shocked when he saw Sasori enter the room. He never came to meals; he didn't even have a seat at the table. But the redhead just walked over and sat in Hidan's chair.

"Nice of you to join us, Sasori-san," said Pein. Deidara saw that even his leader was surprised.

"Yes," he said. "I wanted to see what you actually do at meals."

_That's not why, Sasori no danna, _the bomber thought. _You wanted to see Aoi-san. Don't you know how much older than her you are? _Deidara was happy that his partner was starting to show more emotions, but was concerned about Aoi. Even though Sasori looked sixteen, he was in fact thirty-five. _The girl's practically half his age! I hope he knows tha_t. He had become friends with the short brunette, and didn't want to see her get hurt. _I hope you know what you're doing, Sasori no danna. _

After dinner, Sasori decided to go back to his room rather than help clean up. The rest of the Akatsuki—minus Pein and Konan—cleared off the table. Since Kisame cooked the meal, he didn't have to do the dishes this time. Instead, that duty fell on Deidara and Itachi.

_Great! I'm stuck with Uchiha? _The blonde thought angrily. _I have no luck!_

Neither the bomber nor Itachi noticed that Aoi had left the kitchen, with Tobi leaving after her…

00000

Aoi really didn't want to get dragged into washing the dishes, so she decided to leave before Deidara and Itachi saw her. She found herself walking down an unfamiliar hallway, and realized that she had made a wrong turn somewhere.

"Looking for your room?" a deep voice asked.

The brunette whirled around, coming face-to-face with Madara. "W-what do you want, Tobi-san?" she stuttered.

"Cut the crap, _Aoi-chibi_, I know you know who I really am," stated the masked man.

Aoi decided to play dumb. "I don't know what you're talking about. What's the matter, Tobi-san?"

Before she could even blink, the older Uchiha had one hand tightly grabbing her neck and the other caressing her face. "Say my name," he said, his voice as smooth as velvet.

Aoi shook her head. She promised herself that she wouldn't reveal anything to Madara and damn it, she would keep that promise.

The hand around her neck got even tighter, and it was becoming difficult for her to breathe. "I could always use Mangekyo on you," Madara pondered aloud, "but what fun would that be? I want to make you scream in reality, telling me what you know when you can't take the pain anymore." He stopped rubbing her face. "I wonder how your arm would break if you fell down the stairs. What would the angle be?" Without hesitating, the masked man let go of her neck and, using both hands, snapped Aoi's arm. She screamed in pain, tears pricking at her eyes.

"Scream all you want," sneered Madara. "This particular hallway is soundproof. Now be smart and tell me everything!"

Even though she was in pain, she shook her head. She didn't want to betray Konan, Nagato, or the jinchuriki.

"Are you masochistic, or are you just stupid?" hissed the older Uchiha. "Since pain won't work, I guess I'll try a _different _approach." With that, he pulled his mask off and pushed the brunette against the wall, viciously kissing her. Aoi tried to escape, but Madara was just too strong; she was no match for a trained shinobi. The brunette kicked him in the shin, which made him let go of her in surprise.

"Okay!" she screamed, tears pouring down her face. "I'll tell you everything!"

Once she was done explaining, Madara put his mask back on, and stroked her face once more. "Thank you, _Aoi-chibi_," he chuckled. "For the information, and the entertainment."

Aoi felt a pain on the back of her neck, and then nothing; she had fallen unconscious.

00000

Once Aoi was unconscious, Madara roughly picked her up and carried her into the main hallway. This would have been the perfect opportunity to deliver the girl to his contact, but since he wasn't with the rest of the Akatsuki, he would be placed under suspicion if she were to have disappeared. _Soon, _he thought, _soon I will get what I asked for. I just need to wait for the perfect moment to send her to him. _The masked man stopped thinking when he reached Sasori and Deidara's room. "Oh, Deidara-sempai, Tobi has something to tell you!" he said, his voice childish.

"What, un?" he heard the blonde ask in annoyance. Madara smirked. He thought it was fun to mess with the bomber's head; it made his blood rush. "Aoi-chibi fell down the stairs and broke her arm!" he continued.

"WHAT?" The door opened, and Deidara rushed out. "Let me see her!"

"Here you go!" the masked man sang cheerfully, literally throwing the girl at the Iwa-nin.

"Baka!" he yelled, just barely catching the brunette. "That's no way to treat an injured person, Tobi! Go away, un!"

"Will do, Deidara-sempai!" he called, saluting at the blonde as ran off. _This was indeed fun…_

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Deidara gently laid Aoi on his bed. He noticed that her arm was extremely swollen. He brushed her hair away from her face and wondered why she was unconscious if she just broke her arm. His eyes narrowed as he noticed the bruising around the girl's neck, and that her lips were also swollen. "Sasori no danna, could you come over here. Right now, un?"

"What is it, brat?" the redhead asked angrily. "I heard that the girl was stupid enough to break her own arm. Since Kakuzu is gone, I'll use my limited medical skills to heal it as best as I can."

"That's not it," asked Deidara, his voice getting more impatient. "There're bruises on her neck, and her lips are swollen, un. What does that make you think of?"

"It makes me think of—" What the blonde was implying finally dawned on the puppet master, and he quickly ran over to the bed. "Her clothes look all right," he finally said. "I don't think she was raped. But the bruises and swollen lips make it look like someone was rough with her."

"But everyone else was in the common room; I can still hear them arguing about what to watch on TV," stated Deidara. "Except when I left, Tobi wasn't there. You don't think _he_ did this, un? He couldn't have; he's _Tobi_!"

"We actually don't know anything about him," replied Sasori. "But he _is_ in this organization, so he must have done _something_ to make him defect from his village. The childish personality could be all an act." Deidara was about to say something, but the redhead held up his hand, signifying for him to be quiet. "Do not say any of your suspicions to the rest of the Akatsuki. I am going to have a talk with Pein-sama. Stay here, and make sure no one else comes in this room!" With that, the puppet master stalked out of the room. Deidara just sat on the chair next to his bed, staring worriedly at Aoi.

00000

And that's the end of Chapter Six! Anyone else hating Madara right now? I know I am; he's such a sadist. I hope everyone was in character, and I hope this didn't suck. I had a lot of homework tonight, and was working on Precalculus while I was typing this (Horray for multitasking, lol).

This was also one of the darkest chapters I have written; I hope it wasn't too much.


	8. Chapter Seven: Terror

Welcome to Chapter Seven! I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter! Madara's such a creeper! I like Tobi, though. (Who doesn't lolz!)

Many thanks to everyone who reviewed! I'm glad people are enjoying the story!

*Warning, this chapter contains language*

I don't own Naruto *sigh*

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-Chapter Seven: Terror-

_Damn it! I was too careless! _Madara cursed as paced across his room. _Sasori's bound to be suspicious when he sees the bruises. Why didn't I just break her arm? _Pausing for a second, he narrowed his eyes. _No, I needed her to reveal all that she knew. Plus, it was fun. _He hadn't kissed a woman in a very long time.

He pondered about what to do about this dilemma. He knew that once Sasori put two and two together, he would go to Pein. He was sensing that the puppet master was starting to fall in love with the girl. _That makes the plan even better; my contact would like nothing more than to get revenge on Sasori. _He thought of how Deidara cared for the girl also, and smirked. _He also wants revenge on that stupid blonde. I'll be killing two birds with one stone! _He licked his lips just thinking about how all three of them would suffer. _As soon as Aoi decides she wants to go outside, everything can begin. _Ever since the brunette came to the base, he was finding it harder and harder to conceal his true nature. While he had previously found it fun to irritate Deidara, he now wanted nothing more than to beat the Iwa-nin senseless, just to hear him scream. _Both him and the girl are so…beautiful…when they're in pain. _The older Uchiha licked his lips once more, cruelly smiling. _This is going to be fun… _

00000

Deidara was messing with his clay when Aoi finally awoke. She bolted upright, holding her wounded arm, looking wildly around the room. She didn't know how she got there, but a sense of peace overwhelmed her: she was safe here.

As soon as the blonde saw that Aoi had woken up, he ran to his bed. "Are you okay, Aoi-san? Do you want to tell me what happened, un?"

Suddenly, the brunette didn't care about hiding Tobi's true nature anymore. She leaned over and hugged the blonde with her good arm, burying her face in his shirt.

"Hey, Aoi-san, it's okay, un. You're safe here."

"I-I'm sorry, Deidara-san," she said, once she had stopped crying. "I'm just…scared." The last word was whispered, and her face reddened. _I feel like such an idiot!_

"What are you scared of, un?" asked the Iwa-nin.

"T-Tobi-san," she whispered.

"Did _he_ do this to you?"

The brunette nodded. A fresh wave of pain hit her, and she hissed, grabbing her arm. "He broke my arm."

"What about the bruises, un?"

"Yeah, those too." She looked at the ground.

Deidara gently grabbed her chin, so she looked him directly in the eye. He let go when she tensed, but she kept her face where it was. "Did he…assault you, un?"

She shook her head. "He just kissed me a lot. He seemed to want to make them as painful as possible." She shuddered. "I just feel so weak."

"You are not weak, un," replied the blonde. "We Akatsuki are all trained, S-Class shinobi. You don't even have any chakra. It wasn't a fair fight."

Aoi nodded, sleepily. Though she was in pain, she was tired. "Since Kakuzu's gone, who's going to fix my arm?"

"Sasori no danna," answered Deidara. When she looked at him strangely, he continued. "Since he makes human puppets, he needed to know basic human anatomy. He also knows a bit of medical ninjutsu. Not as much as Kakuzu-san, but enough to fix your arm, un."

"Sasori-san," she muttered, her eyes closing. She hoped he would come back soon; her arm was killing her.

00000

Sasori walked swiftly to Pein and Konan's room, an expression of anger on his face. When he got there, instead of knocking on the door as usual, he threw it open. He had no time for politeness.

"Sasori-san! What is the meaning of this?" asked Pein, looking up angrily from his paperwork.

"Aoi-san was just assaulted by Tobi, Leader-sama." The puppet master tried to sound unemotional, but he knew he failed. He was just so _angry_.

"What do you mean, Sasori-san?" asked the orange-haired man, his eyes narrowing.

The redhead began to explain what had just occurred. When he was finished, Pein stated, "Are you sure it was Tobi? Maybe Aoi-san did fall down the stairs, and broke her arm that way. Tobi could have found her after that."

"Pein-sama, there were _bruises _in the shape of _fingers_ around her neck. I doubt those came from a fall down the stairs. Someone grabbed her and held her like that. And her lips were swollen, as if someone kissed her very roughly. She did not _fall down the stairs_. And since everyone minus Tobi, you, and me were in the common room, that would make us suspects. I was in my room the whole time, and I doubt you did this to her. That leaves Tobi."

"Okay, okay, Sasori-san, I will talk to him," answered the pierced man. "But I will not have you spreading these accusations around the base. Keep them to yourself."

The puppet master narrowed his eyes. "I mean it, Sasori-san," Pein warned. "That's an order!"

"Yes, Leader-sama," he muttered, bowing to the orange-haired Akatsuki leader. He knew it was time for him to leave, so he quickly walked out of the room. He also wanted to see how Aoi was. _Why do I even care? I've killed countless people and never felt a damn thing. Why is this so different? What's wrong with me?_ He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He had to calm down. He let his face drift back into its usual apathetic façade as he walked back to his room.

When he opened the door, he saw that Aoi was sleeping on Deidara's bed, with said blonde sitting in a chair next to her, keeping watch. "Something is very wrong, Sasori no danna. Why would Tobi do this, un?" he asked, gesturing to the sleeping girl. "She nearly had a breakdown when she first woke up; she was terrified."

"I do not know why, brat. Why are you asking me?" asked Sasori. "When I talked to Pein-sama, he said he would talk to Tobi. However, I don't think he believed me, and told me to keep my suspicions to myself."

"In other words, the bastard's going to get away with this, un." Deidara looked furious. Sasori fought with his entire being to keep his face expressionless. The blonde continued his rant. "Pein should really take this seriously. What if Tobi tries to do something to Konan-san next, un?"

"I don't think he will," replied the redhead. "I think he wanted something from Aoi."

"Yeah," the Iwa-nin interrupted, "he wanted something all right!"

"Not _that_, brat," Sasori was starting to get irritated with his partner. "Look at her arm; it was broken in a way that would cause the most pain. I think that Tobi was interrogating her about something."

"Why would he kiss her, then? That totally traumatized her, un!"

"There's your answer. Aoi-san doesn't like people. If she continued to resist the interrogation, he probably exploited her fear of people getting close to her. He saw the reaction she gave when Hidan kissed her; he probably got the idea from that."

"That's sick, un! What a sadist!" spat Deidara.

"Says the man whose idea of art is making people explode," countered Sasori.

"I don't prolong their suffering; I kill them fast, un," retorted the blonde.

Aoi whimpered in her sleep, and both stopped arguing.

"I should probably fix her arm," stated the puppet master. Deidara nodded. The redhead slowly picked up the brunette's injured arm, feeling where the bone was broken. Though he tried to be gentle, Aoi still cried out, but didn't wake up. As he started to heal her arm, the look of pain that contorted her face slowly disappeared. When he was done with his work, Sasori took a roll of bandages from Deidara's first aid kit and wrapped up her arm. "It is not completely healed, but I fixed the worst of it. Most of the pain should be gone; she just shouldn't use that arm too much. Hopefully Kakuzu will come back soon; she won't ever have full use of her arm if he returns too late."

00000

Five days had passed since Aoi was attacked, yet Sasori and Deidara made sure that she stayed in their room. Since she had taken up Deidara's bed, said blonde and Sasori took turns sleeping on the other bed, alternating every night, with one person sleeping on the floor. Besides showering, changing her clothes, and using the bathroom, the brunette barely moved from her bed.

Deidara was worried that something was wrong with her mind. Her eyes had lost their usual sparkle, and she rarely spoke. However, he noticed that this particular day was different; a little bit of that sparkle had returned.

"Deidara-san?" asked Aoi. "Can you take me outside? I want to breathe some fresh air, and I want to draw some landscapes."

"Sure, Aoi-san," replied the blonde. "We'll go outside, un." He was happy that the girl had taken an interest in something. And since Tobi had gone on a mission with Zetsu, he felt that the base was safe for her to explore.

As she grabbed her sketchbook and pencils, she tried to open the door with her bad arm and found that she couldn't. "Why can't I move my hand very much?" she asked, worry present in her voice.

"Sasori no danna tried his best, but he couldn't heal your arm fully, un." He thought, _this isn't good; she's starting to lose the use of that arm. If Kakuzu-san doesn't come back soon, Sasori no danna might be forced to replace it with a puppet arm. _Just imagining his partner amputating Aoi's arm made him shudder.

"I understand," said Aoi, snapping him out of his thoughts. "I don't blame Sasori-san, he did what he could." She smiled weakly. "Let's go! I want to see what I can draw!"

00000

Once the two had gotten outside, Aoi sat under one of the few trees she could find and started to draw the city in front of her. She smiled; she hadn't drawn in awhile, and it felt good. Her mind was distracted from the growing loss of movement in her arm, and the feeling of Madara's lips on hers. Yes, this was relaxing for her. Deidara had gone ahead, looking for a place to set off his bombs. He thought it would be all right if Aoi was alone, as long as she stayed where she was.

However, the brunette was getting bored. She was finished with her drawing, and wanted to move somewhere else so she could draw something different. She didn't think it would hurt if she went exploring. Despite the fact that Ame was an industrial city, there was a small forest in the back of the base. It had more trees than in the front of the base, and Aoi was fascinated with how the city left this little piece of land intact. _Well, Pein _is _the leader of Ame, so I guess he has control over what buildings go where, _she thought.

She looked down when she saw something move past her foot. She let her breath out in relief when she realized it was just a white snake. She was intrigued by the creature and wanted to draw it. She followed it deeper and deeper into the forest. A voice in the back of her head was nagging her to go back to Deidara, but she thought it would be okay if she drew the snake before leaving.

It finally stopped when it reached a clearing, and slithered onto a large rock, presumably to sun itself, like all cold-blooded creatures do. Aoi looked at the snake once more and began to draw it. Suddenly, she heard twigs snapping behind her, and footsteps. Thinking that it was Deidara trying to scare her, she smirked. "I know it's you, Deidara, don't think that you can scare me!"

She whirled around, ready to see her blonde friend grinning sheepishly, but the man in front of her was _definitely _not Deidara. He was much taller, with long black hair and pasty skin. But his most striking feature was his eyes; they looked serpentine, and were the color of warm butterscotch. Her eyes widened. This was a man she feared as equally as Madara.

"Hello, _Aoi-chibi_," he hissed. "Madara told me a lot about you." The snake-like man grabbed Aoi's bad arm and squeezed it, making the brunette drop to the ground, black forming around her vision. She knew she was going to be taken. As a last-ditch effort, she wrote something on the page with the snake drawing. She bit her thumb, stamping it on the page so Deidara would get the message if he found it.

"Drawing won't help you, you stupid girl," he chuckled, kicking the pencil out of her hands.

"Let me go!" rasped Aoi as the man grabbed her neck and squeezed a certain point on it.

"I don't think so, girl," he said. "Madara promised to trade you for some information on a new jutsu. And since he told me of your…uniqueness, I knew I just needed you to test my newest project. You're the perfect specimen!"

Aoi finally closed her eyes, finally giving into unconsciousness once more.

00000

As Aoi's eyes rolled back into her head, the man laughed, licking his lips. "You're the perfect specimen indeed!" When the brunette fell unconscious, he roughly picked her up and swung her over his shoulder. Once he made it out of the forest he could hear his blonde replacement calling out for the girl. _How sweet, _he thought. _Soon, he and Sasori will suffer, if Madara's info is correct. _He smiled cruelly. _And the girl; she will suffer the most… _He was glad that he invested in that hideout just outside of Amegakure; it was finally paying off.

00000

Deidara had looked everywhere for Aoi, and couldn't find her. He had finally started to walk through the forest. _Maybe she fell asleep while she was drawing in there. Stupid girl; I told her to stay put! _

He stopped when he came to a clearing, seeing Aoi's sketchbook and colored pencils on the ground. However, the girl herself was not there. _Where could she be? _He saw that the sketchbook was open. On the page was a beautiful drawing of a white snake. The drawing was marred by three hastily scrawled words. And a bloody thumbprint. _Damn! It must be written in her original language! _he thought, for he couldn't understand what Aoi had written. He looked at the drawing again. _A white snake? Why does that sound so familiar? _Then it hit him. _No! Oh Kami, no! Damn it! Don't let her be taken by _him! Even in his thoughts, he spat out the name. _Orochimaru!_

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And that is the end of Chapter Seven. I know it's cliché, but I wanted to include Orochimaru into the story somehow. If any of you guessed him to be Madara's contact, you were right!

At the beginning of the story, I know it sounds cheesy that Aoi says to Deidara that she's scared. However, I think that is a realistic reaction. I hope she doesn't sound too much like a Mary-Sue.

And if any of you are wondering about when Pein confronts Madara, that conversation will be in the next chapter.

Oh, I hope I made Madara creepy enough at the beginning of the chapter; especially when he was thinking about Deidara. I mention this because he must have targeted him for a reason (when he always irritates him as Tobi). *Note: I do not like the pairing Madara x Deidara. I think it's creepy. I am not supporting it; I just wanted to make Madara seem even creepier. *

I hope this wasn't a bad chapter; it seemed kind of filler-ish to me.


	9. Chapter Eight: Nightmare

Welcome to Chapter Eight! I hope all of you enjoyed the last chapter! Now the plot of the first arc of the story can finally climax! I am just letting you know now that Aoi will NOT be getting any special powers. I know that the OC getting kidnapped by Orochimaru is very cliché, but it really fit for the story. I hope my take on this overused plot is slightly more original.

*Warning: this chapter is darker than any of the previous ones, and contains language and violence*

I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed; all of you are awesome!

Nope, I still don't own Naruto.

-Chapter Eight: Nightmare-

Pein sighed as he thought of the conversation he had with Madara five days before…

_"I don't know what you gain from terrorizing the girl," he said._

_ "I don't know what you're talking about," stated the masked man._

_ "Don't play dumb. Sasori-san came to me tonight, very _angry_. He kept going on about how you attacked Aoi-san and broke her arm. Why would you do that?"_

_ "That stupid puppet is being over-dramatic. I just wanted to have some fun with the girl." Pein could sense that Madara was rolling his eyes. "She got scared and ran away from me, falling down the stairs."_

_ "And by fun you mean…?" asked the orange-haired man._

_ "I just kissed her a bit. It's been so long since…" Madara let the end of his sentence trail off. _

_ Pein got what he was implying, and wasn't happy. "Madara, I want you to stay away from her; she's barely eighteen." Before the older Uchiha could object, Pein continued. "Because of this, Sasori-san _and _Deidara-san are suspicious of you. Don't you care that your cover could be blown?" He didn't add that he himself was starting to get suspicious of the masked man. "I am sending you and Zetsu-san on a mission to gather more info on the One-Tail. I want to know much more than I do now so that the team I send after them won't die. Plus, I need for everyone to cool down; it affects the performance of this organization."_

_ "Fine, fine," said Madara. "I'll go on your mission. When do I leave?"_

_ "Tomorrow morning, Madara. You will brief Zetsu-san when you see him."_

_ "What, no honorific? I'm offended!" said the masked man. When he saw Pein glaring at him, he turned away. "I'll let Zetsu know, now."_

_ The pierced man nodded, opening his door so Madara could leave._

Pein pinched the bridge of his nose. On one hand, he was getting suspicious of Madara, especially from what Itachi had told him and now this incident with Aoi. On the other hand, he couldn't kick him out of the organization; he needed the older Uchiha's power and information for his goal of world domination to succeed. The pierced man sighed again; he felt that he was losing control of the Akatsuki.

Just as he thought things couldn't get any worse, Deidara burst through the door, looking extremely worried. "Pein-sama," he said, breathing heavily, as if he ran a great distance, "Aoi-san is gone!"

"What happened?" asked Pein. _What's wrong _now?

"I'm not exactly sure, but we were outside and she just disappeared. She left this, though. Tell me if it looks familiar, un." The blonde held up a drawing of a white snake. Three words were written on top of the drawing, and a bloody thumbprint was hastily stamped below it. "Can you read it?"

Pein couldn't, but he knew from research that Aoi's language was called English. Since he knew the name of it, he could use the language jutsu on himself and would be able to read it then. He did this, and looked at the page again, inwardly groaning. _First Madara, now _him? _Why did he have to get pulled into this? _Aloud, he said, "The words on the paper are 'Aoi, taken, Orochimaru."

The Iwa-nin's visible eye widened. "I was right," he finally said. "How the hell did he get past our defenses, un?"

"What I'd like to know is how he knew about Aoi-san," added the orange-haired man. He had a growing suspicion Madara had been in contact with the snake sannin, but wasn't completely sure. "I want you to go to Sasori-san and explain what happened. He, you, and Kakuzu—once he gets back—will have the job of bringing the girl back here. I don't want her information to fall into the hands of that traitor."

"Yes, Leader-sama," said Deidara, bowing. He then took off running toward his room at full speed.

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Deidara swore that his heart was about to pop out of his chest. His suspicions were indeed correct; Aoi had been taken by Orochimaru. He had only met the snake-like man once, right after he had become a member of the Akatsuki. He and Sasori were on a mission when the redhead ran into his former partner. The two had grudges against each other because of an incident with Itachi that caused the sannin to be kicked out of the organization. He remembered that Orochimaru had stared at him with an expression of both malice and hunger on his face. It was a gaze that haunted him to this very day. Later, Sasori had told the blonde that the snake-man was obsessed with collecting people with rare kekkei-genkai, which he had. Orochimaru had wanted to take him and experiment on him, yet didn't dare with the puppet master present.

Now the same thing was happening to his friend. He ran even faster when he thought of what the former Akatsuki member could do to her when he discovered that she had no chakra. When he reached his room, he threw open the door, eying the room for his partner.

"Brat, what is the matter with you?" the redhead asked, angrily looking up from reading one of his many books on puppetry.

"Aoi-san has been taken by Orochimaru, un."

Sasori dropped the book. He tried to look indifferent, but the bomber could see a look of obvious anger on his partner's face. "How the hell did he get onto the base's grounds?" he asked.

"I don't know! Why would he even want her? He'd be able to sense right away that she had no chakra, un!" Deidara paced the room. "Pein-sama said that once Kakuzu-san came back, he and we would go on a mission to retrieve her." He paused, looking angry. "But who knows how long that will take! For all we know, he could have killed her when he found out that she had no chakra!"

"Let's hope that happens if he doesn't find anything worth testing on her," Sasori said darkly.

"What do you mean Sasori no danna, un?" asked the blonde, his voice raising in fear and confusion.

"Let's just say death is not the worst thing that could possibly happen to her," answered the puppet master.

"You don't mean…?"

"Yes. Interrogation, torture, rape. The list goes on and on," stated Sasori. "Orochimaru is a sadist; he likes to cause the most pain and watch his victims beg for mercy before he kills them."

Deidara was sickened. "Why don't we just leave right now? Why do we have to wait for Kakuzu-san, un?"

"You don't have to tell me that; I am an impatient man. But we don't even know where the hell the bastard is," explained the redhead. "My guess is that Leader-sama is doing some research about where his location could be. Plus, we need Kakuzu-san if the girl is seriously injured when we do find her, which she most definitely will be."

Deidara seemed to deflate, sinking onto his bed. What Sasori said made sense, but it still pained him to just leave his friend in the clutches of such a ruthless man.

"Let me tell you this," said the puppet master, eyes gleaming with hatred, "Orochimaru _will _pay for this. I'm going to kill him!"

The blonde had never seen his partner show this much emotion during the entire time he had known him. He was surprised, to say the least. "You took the words right out of my mouth, Sasori no danna. He's dead once we find him!"

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Three days had passed since Orochimaru had taken the girl from Ame. Every time she started to wake up, he would render her unconscious once more. He only stopped to eat and sleep; he wanted to get back to his base as soon as possible. He hated carrying the girl, but he knew the effort would be worth it if his experiment was a success. _Even if it isn't, I will have much fun watching her suffer through the procedure, _he thought, smirking.

Once he was finally back at the base, he found his assistant working on installing new cameras to the fighting arena. "Kabuto!" he barked. "I need you to prepare Operating Room Number Three for the procedure. I have successfully retrieved the specimen."

The bespectacled man nodded and hurried off toward the room.

Once the room was ready, with all of the surgical equipment lying on a silver tray next to the operating table, the snake sannin ordered Kabuto to strap the girl's arms and legs to said table.

"Do you need me to administer the anesthesia?" asked the silver-haired man.

"No, no," chuckled Orochimaru. "I need her fully awake and aware for this particular procedure."

Kabuto nodded, narrowing his eyes. The snake-man knew that his assistant didn't always approve of his tests, but respected his power too much to object.

"Do you need me to wake her up?" Kabuto asked.

"I will do that," stated Orochimaru, "but first…" he used the kunai in his pocket to cut Aoi's shirt off, followed by the tank top. However, he left her bra still on. "The shirt will only get in the way," he explained.

"What exactly are you doing for this experiment?" asked the bespectacled medic-nin.

"I am going to see if chakra can be implanted into a human body," the snake-like man explained. "Since this girl has none for some reason, she is the perfect test subject." After his assistant nodded, Orochimaru concentrated some chakra into his fingers and jolted the girl awake. "Let us begin," he said.

He smiled cruelly when the girl started to squirm when he brought the scalpel to her chest, and felt his blood rush when he sunk it deep into the skin on the left side of her chest, making her scream in pain. She screamed more as he cut deeper and deeper. Every time she would fall unconscious, the snake sannin made Kabuto revive her. After more strokes of the scalpel, he felt the knife scrape against her sternum and realized he had cut far enough. By now, Aoi had lost her voice from screaming too much. Her mouth still opened, but no sound came out. Her blood mingled with the tears falling down her face. As Kabuto wiped away the blood pouring out of the wound, the brunette shook from both pain and fear.

"Now comes the really fun part," Orochimaru stated. He grabbed a small, metal cylinder with a blue disk on the top of it. "Here's where we implant the chakra." He stuck the device into the incision, making sure that it touched her sternum. As he was doing this, Aoi thrashed around with pain, screaming silently. "Kabuto! Hold her down!" he ordered. Once the girl was immobilized, the golden-eyed man made sure that the device was positioned right before grabbing what looked like a small welding torch. He turned on the torch and brought it to her skin, cauterizing it to the metal. He smirked in satisfaction as her eyes widened in obvious agony, tears pouring from them. This is what gave him pleasure; watching the pain of others.

Once he was finished, Orochimaru let Aoi fall unconscious; he was finished with the procedure. _I hope you survive, Coulter Aoi, _he thought, stroking her face. _I want to have more fun with you. _"Kabuto!" he barked. "Take her to Cell Seven!"

"Yes, Lord Orochimaru," said the medic-nin, un-strapping the girl from the lab table. He roughly picked her up, almost cradling her in his arms.

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Once Kabuto reached Cell Seven, he placed her on the ground and chained her to the wall. _Honestly, I hope you die, _he thought. _If you don't, all you'll be in for is more pain. Lord Orochimaru is a _very _ruthless man._ He watched the jerky rise and fall of her practically bare chest and pondered whether or not to kill the girl to put her out of her misery. _No, _he decided. _If I do, Orochimaru would kill me. I'm sorry girl, but I value my life. _With that, he left the cell, locking the door behind him.

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Aoi couldn't move; she was in so much pain. Everything hurt: hands, arms, legs, head. But her chest felt the worst; it felt like it was on fire. _What's happening? _she sobbed. She would have screamed, but found she couldn't since she lost her voice.

Time passed in a blur; Aoi didn't know if she was in the cell for hours, days, or weeks. Water and food were pushed through a slot in the door. She drank the water ravenously, but left the food untouched; she couldn't eat anything without getting violently sick.

Finally, the door opened, and Aoi saw the silver-haired man. _Kabuto. _He unchained her, and pulled her to her feet. "Can you walk?" he asked.

"No," Aoi rasped. She had partially gotten her voice back, even though now it was painful for her to speak.

"Tch," said the medic-nin, roughly picking her up and slinging her over his shoulder. He dropped her on the floor once they were inside a lab. "The chakra implant seems like a failure, Lord Orochimaru," he stated. "Even after three days, the chakra seems…incompatible with her body."

"That's too bad," answered the snake sannin. When she heard his voice, her eyes widened and she shook from fear.

"Should we remove the implant?" asked Kabuto.

"No." Orochimaru smirked. "It's fun to watch her suffer. We will document our findings; though this might have been a failure, we can use this info to succeed next time." The snake sannin nodded at Kabuto, who left the room. He then kneeled down to Aoi's level and stroked her face. Reminded of Madara, she flinched, trying to get out of his grasp, aggravating her injuries in the process. "Madara was right," he murmured, so softly that she could barely hear it, "you _are _beautiful when you're in pain." With that, he leaned in to kiss her. Unlike Madara, he was surprisingly gentler. But as the kiss went on, he forced his tongue into her mouth, nearly choking her.

She tried to push him off her but couldn't; she found that she had lost the use of her left arm, and besides that, she was just too weak. She closed her eyes and prepared for the worst when she heard some sort of explosion echo throughout the base.

Orochimaru pulled his lips from hers and let her drop to the floor. "We'll finish this later," he hissed, leaving the room.

Aoi let herself sob. She flinched when she heard footsteps enter the room. Thinking that Orochimaru had returned, she tried to get up so she could run away, but failed. She saw a glimpse of the people who entered the room and felt relieved before she let herself sink into unconsciousness.

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Sasori waited for Deidara to set off his bombs before he and Kakuzu walked into the room. They had snuck around the entire base looking for Aoi, but couldn't seem to find her anywhere. They had interrogated countless Oto-nin about her before killing them, but no one seemed to know where she was. However, one man said that she was in Lab C, which was where they were headed to.

When the explosion was finally heard, the puppet master saw Orochimaru leaving the room. His blood boiled and he desperately wanted to kill the man, but knew that rescuing Aoi was his first priority. When he was sure that the snake sannin had left the hallway, he quickly signaled to Kakuzu that it was time to enter the room.

When he opened the door, he gasped. He knew that he should have been prepared for what he saw, but it was terrible. Aoi lay unconscious on the floor. She was still wearing the Akatsuki pants, but she was topless save for a bra. He was grateful that _something _was covering her up, but felt sickened. He didn't want to see her this way; she looked so tiny, so _vulnerable. _He knew she was normally small, but now she looked unhealthy. When he looked closer, he saw that something was stuck to the left side of her chest. When he touched it, she cried out. He immediately let go of it. Her left arm, the one that Tobi broke, was broken again. Besides being swollen, it was discolored, and Sasori knew that she lost the use of it. Her lips were swollen again, and the redhead knew that Orochimaru had kissed her. _Let's hope that's all he did, _he thought. His face contorted in rage as he thought of his former partner violently kissing Aoi. _That bastard is going to pay for this! _ He gently picked her up, cradling her in his arms. _She's so…cold. _He knew that human skin didn't normally feel this way, and looked at Kakuzu in alarm. "Something's wrong with her; she's too cold."

The Taki-nin grunted. "Let's find Deidara-san and get the hell out of here. You couldn't even _pay _me to set foot in here again."

Sasori would have found this funny if the situation wasn't so dire. He held the brunette closer to his body in order to warm her up. Yes, he was a puppet, but his heart was still human, so it gave off heat. _We're going home, Aoi-san, _he thought. _You better make it._

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And that is the end of Chapter Eight! Whew, this was the darkest chapter I've ever written. Orochimaru creeps me out more than Madara, lolz. I tried to make this not sound cliché. Aoi will not have any powers in later chapters; the experiment failed. I will tell you she does get a new arm, but there's nothing special about it.

I know, Sasori showing emotions is OOC for him, but I just wanted to convey how furious he is with Orochimaru.

…On another note, Kakuzu finally got to speak, lolz. I always wanted to hear him say that, lol! (That's probably the only comedy in this chapter).

I hope this chapter was all right!


	10. Chapter Nine: Escape

Welcome to Chapter Nine! This chapter will not be as dark as the last one, but there is this one part that really creeped me out when I wrote it, lol. It has to do with Orochimaru (but of course; he's the creepiest creeper in the Naruto world, lolz).

*Warning: This chapter contains a frightening scene, violence, and language* (I'm starting to sound like the movie rating system now, lol).

Thank you for all of your awesome reviews! I've only started posting this story a week ago, and I am surprised (and happy) that it has over thirty reviews!

Nope, still don't own Naruto. (Darn!)

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-Chapter Nine: Escape-

Once Deidara had set off his bombs, he hurried into Lab H, the room Sasori assigned him. His bombs were supposed to be the diversion; he himself wasn't supposed to be seen. He really hoped that Sasori and Kakuzu found Aoi; he had no more clay. Plus, this place just creeped him out, especially the smell of antiseptic and the harsh lights.

His head jerked up as he heard the door open. He rapidly looked around, his heart sinking when he realized there was nowhere he could hide. His heart sunk even further when he saw the person who entered. _Damn. Orochimaru. _He reached into the bag attached to his belt, only to remember that he used all his clay to make the diversion. _This isn't good._

"Hello, Deidara-kun," he said, his voice as smooth as silk. "It's been awhile. Two years, right? You look older."

The blonde slowly walked backwards as the snake-man walked towards him. The closer he got, the more nervous Deidara got. Something about Orochimaru was…different…from his fellow Akatsuki members. Though he was an S-Class shinobi, he knew that without his bombs, he was at a disadvantage.

Before the Iwa-nin could even blink, the sannin's hand wrapped around his throat, pushing him against the wall. "Hmm," said the golden-eyed man, unsnapping the blonde's Akatsuki cloak, letting it fall to the floor. "I've done some more research on your kekkei-genkai. I wonder…" He pulled a kunai out of his shirt pocket and slashed Deidara's shirt down the middle, scratching him in the process. Once he removed the shirt, he traced the pattern of the blonde's extra mouth with the knife. "Aww, you sewed it up? Are you disgusted by your talents?"

"Shut up, un!" Deidara rasped. It was getting harder for him to breathe, and the room was starting to blur. _I wonder if this is how Aoi felt when she was attacked by Tobi, _he thought. _I could see how she pretty much had a breakdown. _He used some of the remaining strength he had to spit in the black-haired man's face. "Go to hell, you bastard, un!"

"Now Dei-kun, that wasn't very nice," hissed Orochimaru, dropping the kunai. Using his other hand, he grabbed the blonde's hair and smashed his head into the wall. Letting him drop to the floor, he continued. "You're going to pay for that!"

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_Sasori's new partner is…interesting, _thought Orochimaru. _He doesn't scream. Hmm, I wonder how much pain he will endure before he does. Since that stupid puppet is after the girl, he won't be able to save him. Perfect. This will _destroy _him. It's funny to think that the first emotions he'll have are anger and grief…_

He placed his foot on the semi-conscious Deidara's chest and started to put pressure on it. As the bomber cried out, more pressure was added. With one swift movement he stomped on the blonde, smirking when he heard a cracking noise. The snake man was disappointed when the Iwa-nin only gasped. He was expecting a different reaction. "Why won't you scream, you little shit?" he kneeled down next to the blonde and violently shook his shoulders. "What's wrong with you?"

Deidara only shook his head, a determined expression on his face as he looked at the door.

"Brat? What the hell is going on? You were supposed to meet us back at the entrance!"

_Sasori, _Orochimaru thought. _Perfect. Just in time, too. _

The redhead walked into the room and stopped when he saw his partner and the snake-man. Just to irritate his former partner, he grabbed Deidara's neck once more, forcing him to sit up. The blonde coughed, blood dripping down his chin.

"What did you do, Orochimaru?" Sasori asked, his expression slightly angry.

_No, that's not what I want, _thought the sannin. _I need his reaction to be more violent. What to do, what to do? _An idea slowly formed in his head, and smirked evilly._ This will absolutely _destroy _him! _He let go of Deidara's neck, but grabbed his hair, forcing his face close to his. "You're more beautiful than that stupid girl, _Deidara-kun_!" he whispered. With that, he violently shoved his lips onto the blonde's, forcing his tongue in between his teeth. Deidara tried to thrash away, but the snake-man's grip on his hair prevented him from doing so.

Orochimaru locked eyes with Sasori as he continued to kiss the blonde. His former partner face went from shocked to…enraged. _Bingo, _he thought. He finally removed his lips from the bomber's, smashing his face into the ground.

"Get your fucking hands off of him!" yelled the redhead. His eyes were ablaze with hatred, and he ran at the sannin, simultaneously summoning his best puppet. The Third Kazekage.

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Sasori was so angry he couldn't see straight. How _dare_ Orochimaru attack both Aoi and his partner? _The man's sick in the head! And that's saying something considering I'm part of the Akatsuki, _he thought. Blades stuck out of the Third Kazekage's arm, and Sasori was ready to kill the snake-man. He sent the puppet forward, arm outstretched. The blades hit the sannin right in the chest, and Sasori's eyes narrowed. The snake-man let go of Deidara and…disappeared. _What? A bunshin? _Sasori realized what had happened. Orochimaru had created a bunshin to terrorize his partner while he escaped. _Damn him! _he cursed. He hated how he was feeling; he just wanted all of his emotions to be gone. _This is why I became a puppet; why am I getting those damn emotions back?_

Sasori was snapped out of his thoughts when he saw something slither across the room. A white snake. Sasori's eyes widened when the snake slithered up to Deidara and bit him on the wrist. _What the hell? That snake isn't poisonous, and Orochimaru himself can only give curse marks. So why did it…? _The redhead dismissed it as just a snake being a snake. He had more important things to worry about. He walked over to his partner and kneeled down next to him, brushing the hair away from his face. Looking at the blonde's swollen lips, he was genuinely saddened. No matter how many people the bomber had killed, he still had some naivety within him. Not anymore; Sasori knew that Deidara had lost his innocence this day.

The puppet master carefully picked up the Iwa-nin and his Akatsuki cloak. Since he was taller, it was difficult for the redhead to carry him outside of the room, but he managed. When Kakuzu questioned this, he explained what happened. "Can you carry him? I can carry Aoi-san," he asked once he was done explaining.

The stitched man nodded, placing the girl on the ground and gently took the bomber from Sasori.

"He has some broken ribs, so be careful with him," Sasori advised.

Once again, Kakuzu nodded. "Let's get out of here; I hate this place."

Sasori grunted in agreement and slowly picked up Aoi, cradling her in his arms.

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It took three days for the group to get back to the Akatsuki base. During the first night, Deidara had woken up. He could barely walk, but forced himself to, saying that he was "fine". Kakuzu had fixed his broken ribs, so technically, he was. However, the stitched-nin suspected that there was something wrong with the bomber's mind. Sasori had explained to him how Orochimaru terrorized Deidara, breaking his ribs and violently kissing him. Kakuzu had told the redhead that he could only heal physical wounds, and that time will heal the emotional ones.

Aoi was a different story. She didn't wake up once during the journey. Kakuzu had studied her, yet couldn't figure out what was wrong. Besides the broken arm—that would have to be replaced—there were no other injuries on her, besides the weird device that was embedded in her chest. The Taki-nin suspected this was the cause of her illness. He wasn't sure if he should remove it, so he wanted to wait until they got back to the base. He really didn't care if the girl died or not; he felt no connection to her, but Sasori and Deidara did. He wasn't worried about the bomber, but he _really _didn't want to face the puppet master's wrath any time soon. For this reason alone did Kakuzu swear to try to heal the girl to the best of his abilities.

Once they returned to the base, Kakuzu brought Aoi straight to his infirmary. He laid her down on one of the operating tables. A nervous Deidara and a seemingly indifferent Sasori stared at him.

"Can you see what's wrong with her now, un?" asked Deidara.

"I'm going to do that right now," answered the Taki-nin. He was starting to get irritated from Deidara's constant hovering. _He's starting to be worse than Hidan, _he thought._ Wait, no, scratch that, no one's more annoying than that silver-haired bastard! _

He cracked his knuckles and began to work. He placed his glowing hands over the girl's chest, trying to sense what was wrong. His unusually-colored eyes went wide when he figured out the problem. "That device," he finally said, "is pumping chakra throughout her body. However, it seems that the chakra is incompatible with her, and is slowly killing her from the inside out."

"What can you do, Kakuzu-san?" asked Sasori. "Can you remove the device?"

"No," answered the stitched man. "I can sense that the device attached tendrils of chakra—very similar to your chakra strings—around her heart and lungs. If I removed the device, those tendrils would constrict around the organs, destroying them and therefore killing her. However, I can stop the flow of chakra from the device, stopping the creation of more tendrils. From there, I don't know what to do."

Sasori nodded. "I trust you, Kakuzu-san." Deidara nodded as well.

"Very well, then. I will start the procedure," answered the miser. He pressed his hand against the device, sucking out all the chakra. When it was empty, he said, "I've removed all of the chakra; she is stabilized for now. She will not die, but she will forever have a weak heart." _I couldn't even steal it if I wanted to, _he thought.

He noticed that another reason for her discomfort was that the device was only cauterized externally, yet was free to move internally. He pressed his hand to the wound once more, feeling his medical ninjutsu seal the inside of the incision as well. "Now she will not be in any more unnecessary pain," he explained.

"What about her left arm? Is it completely useless?" asked Sasori.

The Taki-nin placed his hands on her arm, searching for anything he could heal. "It is unfixable," he stated.

"I have a puppet arm that she could use. Can you attach that?" pressed the redhead.

"Yes," answered Kakuzu. "When do you want me to amputate her arm, and in what place?"

The puppet master answered, "I will get the arm right now; the sooner she is healed, the better. I will need you to remove the arm right above her elbow."

Kakuzu nodded.

"How can you be so casual about this, un?" asked Deidara. "You're about to cut a girl's _arm_ off!"

"Shut up, brat!" snapped Sasori. "No one asked your opinion. If you can't handle it, you most certainly can leave!" With that, he whirled around and left the room to get the arm.

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Deidara watched as Kakuzu injected Aoi with anesthesia, and put a mask with anesthetic gas on her. _Please hang on, _he thought, looking at her. He realized that she was still only wearing her bra and the Akatsuki pants, and blushed. Being male, he _had _imagined her topless once or twice, but he could barely look at her now. She looked so still and doll-like. So…dead. She was breathing normally, though, which was a good sign.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when Sasori returned, carrying a puppet arm. The bomber was confused; the arm looked so feminine compared to the ones on his other puppets. "Sasori no danna?"

"Ever since she broke her arm the first time, I was working on this in case she needed it. I'm glad I did. The measurements were made only for her," explained the puppet master.

"How does it work?" asked the blonde.

"Once Kakuzu-san puts it on the remaining part of her arm, he will connect her nerves to the artificial ones inside the puppet arm. That way, her brain will still send signals to it. It will work exactly like her real arm."

"Can you two shut up? I want to start this before I turn two-hundred!" Kakuzu grumbled.

"Fine," nodded Sasori. "We can begin." He turned to Deidara. "Brat, are you staying? This will be bloody."

"I'm not leaving until she wakes up, un." The blonde watched as Kakuzu turned on a mechanical bone saw, making Deidara flinch at the sound. He shuddered as he heard it meet flesh and bone, thinking that Aoi would wake up, screaming bloody murder. She didn't however, and the procedure went on.

Once Aoi's arm was severed, it was placed on a tray next to the operating table. Deidara looked at it with morbid fascination. Once Kakuzu cleaned up and stopped the flow of the blood, he told Sasori to quickly attach the arm. Sasori nodded and slipped the arm onto Aoi. "Seal it now!" he barked. "She's starting to lose too much blood!"

The stitched man nodded and pressed his glowing hands onto where the new arm met her flesh, sealing it together. Afterwards, he brought his hands onto the puppet arm, sealing the nerves just like Sasori instructed. Said redhead was looking worried, even after the procedure was finished.

"What's wrong, Sasori no danna, un?" asked Deidara.

"She's lost too much blood, between our procedure and Orochimaru's." The puppet master spat the sannin's name like it was a disease.

The blonde thought of the snake-man's lips on his and shuddered. "What can we do, un?"

"We need to give her more blood," Kakuzu explained. "I don't know what her blood type is, though."

"It's AB," replied Sasori.

"How the hell would you know that?" asked the Taki-nin.

"I looked through her bag and saw that she has a blood donation card, whatever that is, and it said that she was type AB."

"I'm type AB. She can have my blood," stated Deidara.

Sasori's eyes softened in relief. "Thank you, Deidara-san."

Without wasting any more time, Kakuzu extracted blood from the bomber and injected it into a vein on Aoi's good arm.

"She should be fine," the stitched-man finally said. "I can take her off of the anesthesia now."

Sasori nodded, so Kakuzu removed the mask and needle. "She should wake up soon," the medic-nin stated.

After five minutes, Deidara noticed that Aoi's eyelids were starting to flutter. "Danna, she's waking up!"

The puppet master walked over to the table, looking at her inquisitively. Her eyes finally opened, and she looked around, frightened. She then realized where she was and looked relieved. She saw Sasori standing next to her and grabbed his hand. "Thank you, Sasori-san," she said, smiling. She slowly pushed herself up into a sitting position. "Thank you very much." She then leaned over and hugged him.

Deidara felt a pang in his heart when he saw Aoi hug his partner. He tried to tell himself that he was just happy she was alive, but he couldn't deny it any longer; he felt jealous of Sasori.

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And that is the end of Chapter Nine. I'm sorry if this was really boring; this was supposed to be a chapter that explained what the chakra device is, and how Aoi is healed. (Physically, at least). The next chapter will be better.

No, Deidara doesn't have a curse mark. However, the snake bite will have more significance later.

The scene with Deidara and Orochimaru creeped me out so much! Ick! I needed to have Sasori get extremely angry somehow, though, and what better way than for the snake-man to terrorize his partner. Even if Sasori won't admit it, I believe that he does care about Deidara. I hope Sasori wasn't too OOC.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	11. Chapter Ten: Love

Welcome to Chapter Ten! Thank you for reading the story up to this point! Before I thank the reviewers, I'd just like to say that I know the previous chapter was very heavy on the explanation of the chakra device and Aoi getting healed. When I write original stories, I usually write sci-fi, and I like to make everything seem believable. I know it might have been boring, but I wanted to make the story as realistic as possible (or, however realistic it could be in the Naruto world).

Now that that's out of the way, I'd like to thank all who reviewed. You're awesome!

*Warning, this chapter contains language*.

I don't own Naruto (Aww!)

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-Chapter Ten: Love-

The first few days back at the base were hard for Aoi. She barely had the strength to go to the kitchen to eat. She did, however, because she knew that she was taking up Sasori and Deidara's room. She found that she was jumping at every sound, and looked nervously around every corner. She barely talked to anyone besides Sasori and Deidara, and sometimes Itachi, if he spoke to her. Hidan was angry at first, but later realized that she was just beginning to heal emotionally and apologized. Aoi was shocked; she didn't think the immortal was capable of saying he was sorry to anyone.

On the fourth day, Zetsu and Madara returned. The bi-colored man knew something was up when she shrank away from the two of them in fear. Aoi realized that Zetsu didn't know what had happened. When he looked at her with a questioning stare, she just said, "Pein-sama will tell you."

Madara ran up to hug her, voice cheerful and light with his Tobi persona, but she started to back away slowly. This was the man who attacked her and traded her to Orochimaru. She didn't want him anywhere near her.

She wasn't looking where she was going when she bumped into someone. She whirled around, startled, until she saw that it was Deidara.

"Get me out of here," she muttered.

The blonde nodded and gently grabbed her hand, the two walking out of the room. However, Madara had followed them, much to Aoi's dismay.

"Why don't you leave us alone, un. Go bother Hidan-san," Deidara said angrily. Aoi knew that he still didn't trust the masked man after he broke her arm.

"Aww, you two want alone time?" Madara chirped. "Tobi didn't expect Aoi-chibi and Deidara-sempai to get together so soon!"

"Shut up, Tobi, un!" Deidara said, his teeth clenched. Aoi tightened her grip on the bomber's hand, signifying that she wanted to leave, _now_. "We're not a couple, un. We're just going to take a walk around the base. Alone. I suggest you leave, before I practice my art on you, un."

"Okay, okay, Tobi knows when he's not wanted." The masked man paused, as if thinking about something. "If you say that you aren't with Aoi-chibi, than you wouldn't mind if Tobi wanted her? Aoi-chibi is cute!"

Aoi let out a strangled gasp. "N-no!" she yelled, more hysterically than she intended.

"I don't think Aoi-san feels very well. I'm going to take her back to our room, un," said Deidara.

"Okay, Tobi will see you later then, Deidara-sempai!" As the older Uchiha left, Aoi visibly relaxed, letting go of Deidara's hand.

"You have a pretty strong grip, you know," joked the bomber. "You made one of my mouths bite its tongue, un."

"Sorry," she murmured, looking down at her feet.

"Aoi-san, I was joking." Deidara looked at her with concern. "Come with me to the meeting room; we need to talk, un."

"Talk about what?" she asked. She knew her voice sounded dull, but she really didn't care. It hurt for her to breathe, and all she wanted to do was sleep.

"Everything, un. I'm worried about you."

Aoi looked up at the Iwa-nin, genuinely touched by his kindness. "O-okay, Deidara-san. If you say so,"

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Once the two were in the meeting room, Deidara took a seat, offering one to Aoi. She softly smiled and gingerly sat down. "I know you probably don't want to talk about it, but I—and Sasori no danna—need to know. What happened to you when you were with Orochimaru, un?"

At the mention of the sannin's name, the brunette visibly flinched. _Damn that snake bastard, _thought Deidara. _He really broke her. _

"O-okay, Deidara-san, I'll tell you," she said, her voice getting quiet.

Deidara held up a hand. "Before you do, I'm just saying that you can stop if it gets too much for you, un. And I don't expect you to explain the procedure, since you probably don't remember it, un."

"But I do remember it," said Aoi, her eyes getting wide.

"But how, un? You would only remember it if…" he let the end of his sentence trail off, his face draining of color as he knew what Aoi was going to say.

"Yes," she said, so quietly she was almost whispering. "I was awake the whole time. There were no anesthetics; I felt everything."

"Oh, Kami, Aoi-san. I didn't know, un." The blonde felt absolutely sick. _No wonder she's terrified of everything; it's a wonder she survived the experiment! _"Aoi-san," he finally continued. "Besides that, did Orochimaru do anything else to you, un? Did he…" the bomber was afraid to hear the answer; he knew what the snake was capable of.

"No," she whispered. "But he almost did. Your bombs distracted him just in time. He only kissed me." Her face wrinkled up in fear and disgust. "It was awful. Worse than…Tobi."

"I agree," replied the bomber.

"What do you mean?" After a few seconds, realization dawned on her face. "Deidara-san, he kissed you too, didn't he? That's awful!"

"He caught me after I made the diversion, un. He broke some of my ribs. That's when Sasori no danna came into the room. He kissed me to make him upset, for some reason." Deidara's voice subconsciously got lower as he continued. "He also did it because I wouldn't scream, un." His voice got louder. "Aoi-san, as you know, the Akatsuki are all S-Class criminals, but Orochimaru is even worse than we are. We all hate him, and won't hesitate to protect you should he come back, un. Don't worry."

"Thank you, Deidara-san," whispered Aoi. She then proceeded to tell him more about her life before she was summoned into the Akatsuki. Deidara suspected that this was to keep her mind off of Orochimaru.

Once she was finished, the blonde told her about his life before he had joined the Akatsuki. Besides Itachi, who violated his mind, she was the only person he told; he never even told Sasori his past. He appreciated that she just listened. She didn't give him looks of pity; however, she gave looks that showed that she truly cared, and Deidara was grateful for that.

Once he was done talking, Aoi walked over to him and hugged him. When she let go, the Iwa-nin realized that there were tears on his shirt. He looked at the brunette, and realized she was crying. "I don't want to be afraid anymore; it's driving me crazy! I just want the nightmares to stop!"

"You're having nightmares, un?" he asked concerned.

She nodded. "And they're always of _him! _Every time I sleep; I feel his face on mine, and feel the procedure all over again! It takes me forever to fall asleep!"

Deidara didn't say anything, even though he had also been having nightmares about the snake sannin. He didn't want to worry the girl. "Maybe try thinking of something else before you sleep, like your drawings or your parents, un."

"My parents?" Aoi stopped crying. "I do miss them, of course, but I bet they'd be happy to know that three people kissed me!" She hollowly chucked.

"Why, un?"

"They've been begging me to get a boyfriend for years; they thought that my not having any feelings for anyone was unnatural."

"That's stupid," said Deidara, rolling his eyes. "You just haven't found the right person yet, that's all, un. You're not unnatural!"

"Even though I'm so short and still have braces?" she asked.

"You're really short, but the braces are cool, un. They make you unique."

Aoi giggled. This time, it was light and musical. Happy. Deidara liked the sound of it; it meant that she was healing.

"You're like the sun, Deidara-san," she finally said.

"What?" he asked, surprised. "What do you mean?"

"You brightened up my day. I felt all dark inside until you came to talk to me," she answered. "You always seem to be there, watching out for me, like the sun watches over the earth."

"T-thank you, un." For once, Deidara was speechless. Many people told him he was useless, a freak; he never got complements. Before he realized it, he gently put his arms around the brunette and leaned to her level, gently pressing his lips against hers.

She looked surprised and scared at first, but then returned it, hesitantly. It was quick and, before he knew it, over. He didn't want to push it.

"I'm sorry, un. I don't know what came over me," apologized the blonde, turning away from Aoi. _Deidara, what are you doing? Sasori is going to be crushed if she likes you! _But suddenly, he didn't care; this just felt right to him.

He turned around as Aoi tapped him on the shoulder. "Thank you," she said. She stood a bit on her tiptoes, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Thank you." Then, she kissed him.

A warm feeling flared in Deidara's heart. He wrapped one of his arms around her back, pulling her closer. He vaguely noticed that she was still colder than a normal person was supposed to be, but dismissed it, too wrapped up in the kiss. He didn't even notice the door opening until too late.

"Aoi-san?" the voice belonged to Sasori.

Deidara let go of Aoi and turned to look at his partner. "Sasori no danna…"

"Save it, brat!" he spat, anger in his voice. When the blonde looked in his eyes, though, he saw nothing but sadness. _What have I done?_

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Sasori was shocked when he saw Aoi kissing Deidara. _You should have known this would happen, _he yelled at himself. _You were nothing but rude to her, while the brat was always nice. Of course she'd fall for him! _He hated how he was feeling; his heart hadn't ached this much since he realized his parents were never coming home. _This is why I became a puppet in the first place! Those damn emotions just ruin you! Love? Ha! That doesn't exist, at least not for me. And never will…_ He turned around and left the two, swiftly walking to the one place he would find peace: the library.

He didn't know how long he sat there: seconds, minutes, hours, just staring at the wall. _Why is this affecting me so much? This is worse than any torture! Why can't I just be unfeeling? It was never hard before! Why now, of all times, right before we go after the tailed beasts, am I getting feelings back? _He knew the answer, but was afraid to admit it, even to himself. _No, whatever you think it is, that's not it! _But deep down, Sasori knew what had happened: he had fallen in love.

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Sasori hadn't even noticed the other person that was in the library as well, though no one ever did. She was always watching over everyone, waiting for a chance to help if it was needed. She had seen what happened in the meeting room, from Aoi and Deidara's kiss to Sasori's sadness. She knew that it was time for her to intervene.

"Sasori-san?" she asked, making herself known.

"Konan-san? What are you doing here?" the redhead asked. His voice was apathetic, but the origami artist sensed the pain in it.

"I followed you here; I saw what happened."

"I don't need your help; Aoi-san is already in love with the brat." He turned away from her.

"No." At this, he turned back towards the lone female member of the Akatsuki. She continued, "Aoi-san is not in love with Deidara-san. He was there when she needed someone the most, so she is comforted by him. When she gets emotionally stronger, she will realize that she isn't in love with him. It's more like a…a grade-school relationship. Nothing serious."

"Do you honestly expect me to believe that?" spat the puppet master.

"No, since you're so stubborn, but it's true," retorted Konan. "I bet Deidara-san realizes that too. Did you see his face when you walked in the room?"

Sasori shook his head.

"Well I did," answered the blue-haired woman. "When he saw your face, he looked so upset. I think he realizes how much she means to you, but just wanted to comfort her. I believe that they will go back to being just friends soon."

The redhead seemed to ponder this, then finally nodded. "Konan-san, may I ask you a personal question?"

"What is it, Sasori-san?"

"Have you ever been in love?"

Konan was surprised; she didn't think that the puppet master would ask that question so fast. "Yes," she finally answered, sadness showing in her eyes. "I was in love."

"Can you tell me why it hurts so much?" asked Sasori.

"That means that the love is true," answered the Ame-nin, walking away, fading into the shadows. "Remember that, Sasori-san…" She left the library before he could see the tears falling down her face.

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And that's the end of this chapter! In the original outline, Deidara wasn't going to kiss Aoi. However, when I wrote it out, I liked it, so I left it in the story. I also want to see how people liked the Deidara x Aoi pairing. It won't be here for long, though, so if you liked it, sorry, lolz.

In this chapter, I know Aoi sounds weak, but I thought it would be more realistic for her to gradually trust people again, rather than it happening just like that.

I always wanted to write Konan, so I'm happy I included the scene at the end. She seems so stoic in the anime/manga, so I wanted to give her some more feelings. I hope she isn't too OOC.

Poor Sasori! (Just saying, lolz).

Hope you enjoyed the chapter! (This is one of the few that focuses on the romance; I hope it didn't suck.)


	12. Chapter Eleven: Change

Welcome to Chapter Eleven! Thanks for reading the story up to this point. I am very pleased (and shocked) to see that I have over forty reviews, and the story's only at Chapter Eleven! I can't believe people like it that much! (This is my first Naruto fanfic).

Anyways, this chapter won't be as action packed as some of the others, but I hope you still enjoy it. Aoi will interact more with Team Teamwork (My nickname for Itachi and Kisame, since they tolerate each other, lol).

Thanks to all who reviewed; you're all awesome!

*Warning: This chapter contains language and violence*

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-Chapter Eleven: Change-

It had only been a couple hours since Aoi kissed the bomber, and they had been talking about their lives outside the meeting room during that time. She was worried about Sasori at first, but Deidara had assured her that he was okay. She blushed as she heard the whispers of the Akatsuki as she walked into the kitchen, holding hands with Deidara. She learned the hard way that gossip got around the Akatsuki faster than at her school.

"So, Aoi-chan, you and the she-male a couple now?" Aoi rolled her eyes. Of course Hidan would be the first to ask. The silver-haired immortal turned to Deidara. "Oi, Deidara, did you fuck her yet?"

At that, both Aoi and Deidara blushed, letting their hands drop to their sides.

"Pardon my partner; he was born with a lack of tact. And a brain." Kakuzu slapped the Jashinist on the back of his head.

"Ow! Kakuzu, you bastard!" Hidan yelled. "What the fuck was that for?"

"If you don't know, you're a lot stupider than I thought!" Kakuzu rolled his eyes and returned to his seat.

"Congrats, Deidara," Kisame joked. "You finally found someone who's not repulsed by you!" The shark-nin pat the blonde on the back, who almost fell over because of the blue man's strength.

Aoi laughed, grabbing the bomber's hand again. But something didn't feel right. She was happy that someone liked her enough to kiss her, but she felt that something was…missing. She didn't know what it was, though, and dismissed it as still being shy and her lack of experience with romance.

The brunette was broken out of her thoughts when Pein yelled, "QUIET!" The whole room fell silent, and the pierced man continued. "It has come to my attention that the girl and Deidara-san have formed a relationship." He looked at Deidara. "May I remind you that you are part of the Akatsuki. I cannot have you be distracted, not when we are so close to beginning the capture of the tailed beasts. Or do you want to fail, Deidara?" The last part was spat out.

Aoi saw Deidara wince and let go of her hand. After a while he finally spoke. "You're right, Pein-sama." His voice went cold. "I'm sorry, Aoi-san, but I don't think we can be together; not at the moment, at least, un." When Aoi looked at his eyes, she saw that they were filled with sadness. She knew that he was only doing this so that Pein wouldn't kill him; when the leader of the Akatsuki ordered something, you did it. It was that simple. However, a part of Aoi was relieved. She didn't know if it was from her original awkwardness around people, or the jumpiness caused by Orochimaru, but things seemed to be moving too fast for her; she felt that she didn't want a romantic relationship at the moment. It would be better if they were just friends. She hoped Deidara realized that too.

She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she almost missed what the orange-haired man said next. "I don't want Sasori-san or Deidara-san to continue to get distracted, so Aoi-san will be rooming with Itachi-san and Kisame-san from now on."

_What? _she thought, looking at the bomber fearfully. She trusted him and the puppet master with her life and was used to them as roommates. She didn't want to leave yet; no, she didn't think she could handle being placed into a different room. Itachi and Kisame were nice to her, but they didn't know about the nightmares she had. Deidara and Sasori always knew what to say to make her feel better after she woke up screaming in the middle of some nights.

"I'm not going to do anything to her, un," argued Deidara. "She just got back from Orochimaru's. She's not used to being around anyone but me and Sasori no danna."

"My decision is final!" Pein thundered, making Aoi jump at the noise. "Aoi-san will get her belongings and take them to her new room right now!" He looked at Aoi, who just stood in shock. "Go now, girl, before I kill you!"

The brunette squeaked in fear and took off running towards her room. She didn't want to see the pierced man get any angrier.

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"What was that for, un?" asked Deidara. "You know she's jumpy!"

Pein looked at the bomber, a look of intense anger on his face. "What would you gain by being romantically involved with her? She's already disrupted this organization enough. Now that she has given us the information we wanted, what use is there for her to stay here?"

"I thought you said we couldn't send her back," said Itachi.

Deidara glared at the Uchiha; he didn't want Aoi leaving any time soon.

"You're right, Itachi-san. We can't."

The bomber got where Pein was taking this conversation. "No! You're not going to kill her! Not when we spent all that time saving her from the snake bastard, un!"

The orange-haired man coldly retorted, "I only sent you on that mission so that the girl wouldn't reveal any information to him. We still don't know if she did. She is jeopardizing the organization by just being here!"

"Shut up, un!" Deidara didn't know where that came from. He had never disrespected his leader so openly before. Now that he did, there was no going back. "How dare you even suggest that! She has been through so much, and it's all because of us! We summoned her here and—" He was cut off when Pein kicked him straight in the chest, aggravating the blonde's recently healed ribs.

"Leave!" he snarled. "Before I kill you!"

Deidara shakily got to his feet and walked out of the room. He knew he had gone too far, but he didn't care. He cared too much about the brunette to let Pein talk about killing her so casually.

Before long, he was at his room. He wanted nothing more than to sleep and remember his and Aoi's kiss.

However, when he walked into the room, he realized it wasn't meant to be. He saw that Aoi's belongings were gone, and that Sasori was at his workbench, as usual. But, unusually, he was not working on a puppet. Instead, he was staring at the bomber with an uncharacteristic expression on his face. Hate.

Sasori stood up, moving so swiftly that Deidara didn't notice it until the redhead was standing right in front of him. "This is all your fault!" he hissed. "If you just _talked _to her like I asked, we wouldn't be in this mess! She was terrified when she came in here, you know! She said that Pein wanted to kill her! You put her in danger, you brat! What were you thinking?"

Before the blonde could answer, Sasori slammed him into the wall, grabbing his neck when he ricocheted off of it. Despite the redhead's shorter stature, he had a surprisingly iron grip, something Deidara realized when he tried—and failed—to remove his hand from his neck. He felt his vision starting to blur, and was reminded of his time with Orochimaru.

Just as he was going to fall unconscious, he felt the pressure being lifted from his neck. He could barely take two gulps of air when Sasori's fist met his stomach. He sank to the ground in pain. "How dare you!" the puppet master raged. "How dare you put an innocent girl's life at risk because of your _desires_!" With that, he jumped and landed forcefully on Deidara's leg. The bomber heard it break before he felt it. When he finally did, he gasped in pain. He uncurled his arms from his stomach as a reflex, and the redhead took advantage of that, stomping on one of them as well. Sasori kneeled down to his level, yanking on his hair to force his head up. The blonde couldn't control the tears that were now starting to fall down his face. "Why, danna, un?" he asked.

He was in so much pain, he didn't think he heard his partner right when he spat, "Because I love her!"

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Sasori watched as his partner fell unconscious. It was then when he realized just what he did. _No! I didn't mean to! I was just so angry! _He looked at the blonde and felt sick. If he could have retched, he would have. _I'm just as bad as Orochimaru! _He realized that while he was in his rage, he wanted to hear the Iwa-nin scream. _Just like Orochimaru_. He gently felt where he had broken Deidara's arm and leg, getting even sicker. _I did that? _The puppet master wanted to tear his own hair out. He had been without emotions for so long; he had forgotten how to control them. He made his hands glow green as he gently pressed them onto his partner's leg. Since it was only a partial break, he healed it with ease. He fixed the arm next. _I'm sorry, Deidara. I'm so sorry. _He picked up the blonde and carefully laid him on his bed. He brushed the hair away from his face, and saw the ring of bruises that he left around the bomber's throat. He turned away, feeling his eyes burn. He was a puppet, and therefore couldn't cry. But he would have. He knew that Deidara wouldn't trust him for a long time, if he ever did. Every time he looked at his partner, all he saw was his frightened and saddened face as he asked him 'why?'. It was even worse knowing that he caused his partner to cry, something the bomber swore he would never do; he thought that it was just a weakness. The puppet master realized that he hurt Deidara more than Orochimaru did. _Damn it! Damn it all to hell! All these emotions, everything!_ _Why does it hurt so much? _He was reminded of what Konan had told him hours before. _Aoi will be mine! If only so I didn't do this to Deidara in vain!_

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Aoi realized how much cleaner Itachi and Kisame's room was compared to Sasori and Deidara's. She had unpacked her stuff quickly, but really didn't want to go walking around the base alone.

She jumped when she heard the door open, but relaxed when she realized it was only Itachi and Kisame.

"Hey, Aoi-chibi. You okay?" Kisame asked, looking at her concerned.

Aoi slowly nodded.

"We're not going to kill you. Maim you maybe, but not kill you!"

It took a second for the brunette to realize that the shark-nin was joking.

"Pein shouldn't have said what he did," he continued, a more serious tone in his voice. "Not while you're still healing. You should've seen Deidara, though. He yelled at Pein, and he got kicked across the room! I would have laughed if they weren't arguing about killing you."

"He did that for me? No one disrespects Pein-sama!" Aoi was dumbfounded. _Is staying here changing their characters? _

"He must really like you," replied the blue-skinned man.

"Hn," Itachi agreed. "Though I sense you like someone else."

"W-what do you mean?" Aoi blushed. _Damn Uchihas and their stupid deductive reasoning! _"I just don't want a romantic relationship right now."

"Whatever you say, Aoi-san," answered the raven-haired man. "I wouldn't wait too long to tell him, though; he doesn't like that."

"Sasori?" Kisame burst out. "She likes that unfeeling _puppet?_"

"No!" Aoi blushed furiously. She wondered how Itachi figured it out, then remembered he used Sharingan on her. _Damn it! _

"Hn," was all the Uchiha said.

"Why do you show emotions around me?" Aoi suddenly asked. She realized that the raven-haired man was being totally out of character.

"You…you remind me of someone," he finally answered.

"Sasuke?" the brunette guessed.

She saw Itachi stiffen. "Yes. When he was young, he was so…happy, innocent, inquisitive. A bit like you." His voice turned dark. "But you know what happened to him. I just don't want that to happen to you."

"Sasori-san said that I lost my innocence," Aoi said, looking down at the floor. "I don't think I have the heart for obsessive vengeance, though, so you don't have to worry."

Itachi nodded, while Kisame just looked at her. _These two are much quieter than Sasori and Deidara, _she thought. _But that's probably because these two actually get along. _She could deal with living in this room; Itachi and Kisame were nice enough. But she was worried about how they'd react to her nightmares; she hoped they wouldn't get mad. She looked at the spotless room and wished she was back with the artists. She sighed, realizing that she probably wouldn't be seeing them for awhile.

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And that's the end of Chapter Eleven. I know it was shorter than some of the other chapters, and I know it sucked. This is because I was writing notecards for my English research paper while I was typing this. I'm only happy with the fight between Sasori and Deidara, Sasori's reaction, and Itachi and Kisame's conversation with Aoi. The rest was just not that great, so I'm sorry.

Lol, Itachi, Kisame, and Aoi were having girl talk (talking about boys Aoi likes, lol).

I hope that Itachi and Kisame (Kisame especially) weren't too OOC.


	13. Chapter Twelve: Dreams

Welcome to Chapter Twelve! Many thanks go to everyone who read the story up to this point. I saw that I almost have fifty reviews, and I am absolutely happy! I'm glad people enjoy the story!

This is random, but happy National Deidara Wednesday, un! (One of my Akatsuki-obsessed friends told me about this). Today, I added un's (they sounded more like hmm's though, lolz) to the end of my sentences when I was talking to friends. It drove all my non-Narutard friends crazy; it was hilarious!

Um, anyways, this chapter will start the plot for the next story arc. Expect lots of Deidara and Sasori (there's a little bit of Itachi and Kisame, but they're barely in the chapter, lol).

Thanks for all the reviews; all of you make my day!

*Warning, this chapter contains language and violence (the usual, lolz)*

…Guess what? I own Naruto! (Just kidding. I wish I did, though…)

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-Chapter Twelve: Dreams-

Sasori looked at his partner's sleeping face and winced; he was so young, so innocent looking. The Iwa-nin didn't deserve what happened to him. All the redhead could think of was how he had almost _killed_ Deidara in a rage; the scene kept playing over and over in his mind. It drove him crazy. _Is this what Aoi's nightmares are like? _As he turned off the light and lay down in his bed to try to fall asleep, he realized something: Deidara never even tried to fight back. This realization made him sicker than he already was. _What's happening to me? _With that, he closed his eyes, and fell into a dreamless sleep.

In the morning, awoke to see Deidara playing with his clay. "Good morning, danna; looks like you had a good night's sleep for once, un!" the blonde's voice was cheerful, and Sasori couldn't understand why. Thinking of Deidara's grudge against Itachi, he knew that his partner was not a forgiving person. _Why isn't he upset? _

"I had the worst nightmare last night, though, un," the bomber continued. "I dreamt that after I left the kitchen and came back here to sleep, you attacked me and said that you were in love with Aoi-san. It was…awful. But I knew you'd never really hurt me, so I figured it was a dream, un."

That made the puppet master even more ashamed. _Maybe it's a blessing that he doesn't believe it was real, _he thought. Choosing his words carefully, he replied, "You passed out after you came here after dinner. Pein-sama must've kicked you pretty hard."

"Oh, un." Deidara's wide, blue eyes looked at him, and Sasori just wanted to stab himself in the eyes. He didn't deserve a partner like the Iwa-nin, he really didn't.

"So, do you want to see how Aoi's doing, un?" he asked.

"Sure, I need something to do," answered the redhead.

After the two got dressed, they headed out to the kitchen once more. The walk there was quiet until Deidara broke the silence. "Danna, I need to ask you something, un."

"What is it, brat?" Sasori's heart lurched, thinking that he was going to realize that what had happened to him was not a dream.

"When you saw me kissing Aoi, you looked so sad. So _heartbroken,_ un. Please answer this truthfully: are you in love with her?"

On one hand, the redhead wanted to punch the inquisitive look off of his partner's face and say that he had no emotions. On the other hand, though, he thought it would be good to finally let his feelings out. He also didn't want Deidara to kiss Aoi _ever again_. He felt anger bubbling up inside him as he remembered how happy the girl looked when the two embraced. He didn't want to hurt the bomber again, so he gritted his teeth and forced himself to calm down. After a moment more of deliberation, he made his decision; there was no going back now. "Yes."

Deidara nodded. When Sasori looked into his eyes, he saw sadness. However, he also saw respect, and he knew that the blonde wouldn't try to steal the girl from him, if they ever got together. The puppet master swore he saw a flicker of something else cross the Iwa-nin's face, but thought it was just a trick of the cheap lighting system.

"You deserve someone, Sasori no danna; I promise I won't stand in your way, un."

"Thank you, Deidara-san," stated the redhead.

Deidara gasped.

"What?" asked Sasori, a bit alarmed that his injuries might be hurting him.

"You actually said my name, un."

The puppet master allowed himself a microscopic smile before the two walked into the kitchen.

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As Aoi sat at the table next to Kisame, she remembered her first night in his and Itachi's room…

_ She relived the procedure over and over again, until she felt like she couldn't take any more pain. She thought it was over until Orochimaru loomed over her, violently pressing his lips on hers. She screamed…and found herself on the extra cot in Itachi and Kisame's room._

_ Both Akatsuki members woke up at her screaming, thinking that someone was attacking her. Kisame blindly grabbed for Samehada while Itachi activated his Sharingan. Once Aoi had calmed down, she explained to them that she had these nightmares often._

_ "I'm sorry to have woken you up," she said, bowing her head._

_ "It's all right, Aoi-san. Nightmares are perfectly normal after you experience something traumatic." Itachi's soft voice had comforted her, just like Sasori's always did when she was in his room._

_ "Can I ask you a favor, Itachi-san?" asked the brunette. "Can you put me to sleep using your Sharingan? I haven't been able to have a decent night's sleep in so long; the nightmares keep torturing me!"_

_ "Hn." Itachi nodded after a moment of thought, Sharingan reactivated. "Look into my eyes," he instructed._

_ Aoi did what he said and happily succumbed to unconsciousness. _

She was broken out of her thoughts when Deidara said, "So, Aoi-san, how was your first night with _Uchiha,_" he spat the name, "and Kisame-san, un?"

"O-oh, it was fine, Deidara-san," she answered.

"Still having a rough time sleeping, un?"

"Yes," she practically whispered. "I don't know if they'll ever go away."

The rest of the day passed by quickly, and soon, it was after dinner. Aoi was in a good mood since she beat Hidan in a belching contest, something that the immortal—or anyone else—expected would happen.

"Damn, bitch! I never met a girl who could burp as loud as you! First the men's clothes, now this; I think we're fucking rubbing off on you, stifling your femininity or something!"

"I didn't think big words were part of your vulgar vocabulary, Hidan!" laughed Kisame.

"Shut the fuck up, fish-face!" replied Hidan.

"I'm going to get my sketchbook to draw!" called Aoi, leaving the kitchen. "I'll be back soon!"

"Okay, un," replied Deidara.

Aoi was almost at her room when she was whirled around by someone. "Hello, _Aoi-chibi_, I wasn't expecting you to be back!"

_Madara_, Aoi thought, suddenly very nervous. "Tobi-san."

"Oh, please, you stupid girl, I know you know my name!" he looked at her left arm and continued. "That's new! Did that stupid puppet make that for you?" He suddenly leaned close to her, pushing her up against the wall. "I know I really shouldn't," he whispered. "But I can't help myself; you're just so beautiful when you're scared and in pain."

Aoi was reminded of Orochimaru and tried to thrash away. She tried to kick the older Uchiha off of her, but was met with a kick to her stomach. She tried to grab her stomach but found that Madara still had her arms above her head, pressed against the wall. With one hand. _Damn, he's strong! _

"Let's finish what we started, shall we," he hissed, drawing a kunai from somewhere inside his Akatsuki cloak. He slowly ripped her shirt down the middle with said kunai, until all that covered her chest was her bra. She felt one of his hands snake around her back to unhook it, and watched numbly as it fell to the floor.

She closed her eyes, tears still pouring from them, wondering why he liked to torture her so much. She realized the answer as soon as she thought the question; it was because he liked to see people in pain. _He and Orochimaru are a lot alike. _

She was snapped out of her thoughts when she felt the kunai slash down the middle of her chest. She was so in shock that she didn't scream, only silently sob.

"What the hell is going on here?"

Aoi opened her eyes at the familiar voice, crying out in pain as Madara dropped her to the floor. She quickly wrapped her arms around herself to cover her chest.

"Oh, Sasori-san!" the masked man called, voice cheerful with his Tobi persona. "Tobi just wanted to see the strange device that Deidara-sempai talked about."

"By removing her shirt and attacking her with a kunai?" the puppet master sounded absolutely furious. "It looked more like you were going to rape her."

"No, no, Tobi would never assault Aoi-chibi!" he stated, wildly shaking his hands. "Tobi must go now; goodbye, Sasori-san!" Madara took off running down the hallway.

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Sasori was _furious_. He knew that he should probably chase after Tobi, but Aoi's safety was more important than that. He looked over at her prone form and noticed that she was shivering. He quickly took off his Akatsuki cloak and turned around, waiting for the brunette to cover herself with it.

"T-thank you, S-Sasori-san," she said, teeth chattering and tears falling from her eyes. "You showed up just in time."

_That bastard! Something's up with him, I'm sure of it, _thought Sasori. "Why don't you come back to my room? I'm sure as hell not leaving you alone after this."

Aoi nodded, almost dreamily, and picked up her bra, stuffing it into one of the pockets on the cloak.

Sasori looked at the garment, realizing then and there that he just saw Aoi topless. He blushed, feeling ashamed that he even thought of that at a time like this. Just like when Deidara was attacked by Orochimaru, he felt a strong need to protect her. _Damn Tobi! Pein has_ got_ to believe me now! I'm going to march right into his room and give him a piece of my mind!_

For some reason, Aoi was walking slower and more erratic the closer the two got to the artists' room. "Sasori-san, I don't feel so good."

The redhead whirled around to see the brunette slump to the ground. He didn't know exactly why she fell unconscious, but suspected that it was because of the shock and the cut on her chest. He gently picked her up and carried her the rest of the way to his room.

"Brat! Open the door!" he called urgently.

"What is it, Sasori no danna, un?" Deidara asked, opening the door. When he saw Aoi's unconscious form, he asked. "What the hell?"

Sasori hurried into the room, his partner shutting the door behind him. He placed Aoi on his bed and explained, "Tobi tried to finish what he started before! I was going to see what was taking her so long when I saw that masked bastard holding her against the wall, topless."

Realization dawned on the blonde. "That's why she's wearing your cloak, un?"

Sasori nodded. He narrowed his eyes in anger. "I also saw him cut her with a kunai, for some reason."

"Why would he do that, un?"

"I'm not sure, but I'm starting to think he's a sadist," stated the puppet master. "I don't know what he gains from terrorizing her, though." He looked at the unconscious brunette and almost slapped himself for not remembering sooner. "I've got to heal her. I have to take off the cloak, though," he warned.

Deidara grunted and turned away. Sasori reluctantly opened the cloak, trying not to look at her chest. He concentrated all his focus on looking at the wound. He sensed that it was shallow, and not fatal. The puppet master hesitantly put his glowing hands on the wound, realizing that he was touching her chest. _This seems so wrong,_ he thought, disgusted with seeing her so…exposed.

Once the wound was healed, he removed his hands as though they were on fire, and snapped up the cloak. "She's staying here tonight," he finally said. "Watch her while I go find Pein-sama. He better listen to me this time." He glanced once more at Aoi and hurried out of the room.

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Deidara looked worriedly at the brunette's unconscious form. He felt bad that he had snuck a peek while Sasori was healing her; he just couldn't help himself. _She's quite tiny, _he thought, then mentally slapped himself. _Stupid! The girl almost gets raped and you're thinking about the size of her chest? You're a heartless idiot! _

He stopped mentally yelling at himself when he heard Aoi softly moaning in pain. _What's wrong with her? Sasori already healed her. _He brushed some hair off her forehead, and realized that instead of feeling cold like she usually did, her skin felt…hot. _She has a fever. But how? _He unsnapped the first three snaps of the cloak and looked at the device. For some reason, there was heat radiating off of it. _What did Tobi do? _He snapped the cloak back up and worriedly sat on his bed. _Sasori no danna better come back soon; I don't know what to do if she gets worse. _His eyes narrowed. _Tobi will pay for this, even if I have to kill him…_

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And that is the end of Chapter Twelve. This is one of the shortest chapters, but I didn't think I could make it any longer.

Madara-the-creeper strikes again! (He gets creepier every time I write him). There was significance in the cut he gave her; that will be explained later.

…Deidara's a little pervy, in this chapter, lolz.

The next chapter's coming soon! I hope you enjoyed this one.


	14. Chapter Thirteen: Luck

Welcome to Chapter Thirteen! This chapter will explain the reason why Madara cut her, and what Pein's reaction to Sasori's accusations will be. It will focus mostly on Deidara and Sasori. Hidan and Kakuzu also make an appearance.

I am so happy right now; I looked at the number of reviews this story has: over fifty! I'm super excited, and I just have to thank all the people that reviewed and enjoy this story! All of you are awesome!

*Warning: This chapter contains language and violence (the usual)*

Nope, I still don't own Naruto.

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-Chapter Thirteen: Luck-

Deidara continued to look at Aoi, and was starting to get concerned. When he felt the brunette's forehead again, it was warmer than before. A slight blush tinted her cheeks, and when Deidara looked closer, he saw that even though she was unconscious, her teeth were clenched in pain. _What do I do? _he thought. _I don't have any medical expertise._

Suddenly, Aoi's eyes opened. "Dei…da…ra…-san," she hissed, drawing out the syllables in obvious pain. "I feel like I'm on fire! Make it stop!" The last sentence was said in such a hysterical manner, the bomber visibly flinched. As Aoi fell unconscious again, he realized something; something was terribly wrong with Aoi. _Sasori no danna, where the hell are you?_

Deidara was snapped out of his thoughts when someone barged through the door. "Oi, blondie! Itachi's lookin' for the bitch, and I said that she'd probably be in your room. I was fucking right!" Hidan stopped talking when he saw Aoi. "Damn, Deidara, what the fuck did you do to her?" He smirked slyly. "I didn't know that you could be…rough!"

Deidara really didn't have time for the immortal's innuendos. He needed an ally besides Sasori, however, so he didn't think it would hurt to tell the silver-haired man what had happened.

"I don't fucking believe it!" stated Hidan after the blonde finished explaining. "Out of all people, _Tobi_? That's fucking sick! When I kissed her, I was just jokin' around, but you're telling me that the bastard ripped her fucking shirt off? Damn! Even I wouldn't do that." He paused, narrowing his eyes. "Not unless she wanted me to, of course."

"Shut up, un!" Deidara was really starting to get pissed off. "Can you get Kakuzu-san in here? Like right now, un?"

"Fine, fine. Whatever you say, Deidara-san." The Jashinist flipped him the bird as he walked out.

The blonde was starting to get nervous. When he looked at Aoi once more, he saw that her face was getting redder. He was about to remove the Akatsuki cloak to keep her from overheating, but remembered that she wasn't wearing a shirt. He realized that if he didn't do something to cool her down, she would just get sicker than she already was.

He decided to remove the cloak anyways; this was an emergency. He grabbed a small towel from the bathroom and gently wrapped it around her, happy that it covered the parts it needed to. Acting on another idea, he got a washcloth and turned on the sink, letting it soak up the water. He wrung it out so it wasn't too wet and placed it on Aoi's forehead. The Iwa-nin looked at the chakra device again, worried. The area where it was cauterized to her skin had now turned an angry red color. Deidara didn't have any medical knowledge, but knew it was infected somehow.

The brunette suddenly started to have a coughing fit. Deidara gently moved her to a sitting position, only to almost drop the girl in surprise—and disgust—when he felt blood spatter on his face. _This isn't good. Doesn't coughing up blood mean that she punctured a lung? But how can that be? _He wildly looked around the room. _Where the hell is Kakuzu? Or Sasori-danna? What's taking him so long?_

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"So what you are saying is that Tobi tried to rape Aoi-san?" asked Pein.

Sasori nodded, his head about to explode from anger. "If you don't believe me, just come into my room and take a look at the girl!"

"I don't believe that is necessary."

"So what you're basically telling me is that Tobi stays and Aoi-san gets traumatized for life?" asked the puppet master. He was beginning to get _really _pissed off.

"The Akatsuki needs Tobi's power. It is…indispensible. So no, he is not leaving the organization any time soon," answered the pierced man.

The redhead finally lost it. "You bastard! I know you think you're doing this organization a favor by having a member with incredible strength, as you say, but you're only putting everyone in danger! If Tobi's a sadist, anyone could be next. Hidan-san. Deidara-san." He pictured Tobi kissing his partner and shuddered. "Konan-san."

Since he was a puppet and therefore couldn't feel pain unless it was directed at his heart, he didn't realize Pein had punched him until he was lying flat on his back, on the floor.

"You need to learn your place," Pein hissed, bringing a foot onto his chest.

"You know that won't hurt me," stated Sasori.

The orange-haired man removed his foot and kneeled down next to the puppet master, who started to sit up, weaving his fingers into his messy red hair. He roughly yanked on it so that Sasori was staring directly into his Rinnegan eyes.

"Listen and listen good, Sasori_-san_," the pierced man snarled, keeping a harsh grip on his hair. "That _girl _is causing too much trouble; she's ruining all that we worked for. If she causes another incident, I will personally kill her." He stopped, almost as though he got a better idea. "No, _you _will."

"No," Sasori spat. _How dare he? Without her, we would have gone after the tailed beasts without really thinking what could happen. She _saved _us!_

"No?" asked Pein. "You do know who you're talking to, right? I'm the leader of this damn organization; you don't refuse an order from _me_!"

"I just did." There was no going back now; Sasori had openly showed disrespect towards his leader.

"Oh, I get it now," smirked Pein, yanking on his hair even more forcefully. "You've fallen in love with the bitch, haven't you? You're becoming soft, Sasori. You're pathetic!" With that, he let go of the puppet master's hair and watched him get to his feet. "Get out of my sight before I stab your heart."

"One more thing, _Pein_," Sasori purposely left the honorific off; he no longer had any respect for this man. "How the hell did she cause this? She's an eighteen-year-old girl with no chakra, while Tobi is a fully-trained shinobi. He attacked _her_, not the other way around. Think about that!" The redhead angrily stalked out of Pein's room, slamming the door shut behind him. _I hope Aoi's all right. I kept her waiting long enough._

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Deidara held Aoi's hand as the screaming started. She thrashed around, grabbing at her neck in obvious agony. "My throat is on fire! Why is this happening?" She started crying, her tears running down her face and mixing with the blood she coughed up. "Deidara, please, kill me now; I can't take any more of this!"

The blonde was absolutely horrified. He knew that the pain must be terrible for her to be begging to die. "No, Aoi-san, just wait a little longer; Sasori no danna and Kakuzu-san will be here soon, un."

"Patience wasn't one of my strengths," she hissed. She went into another coughing fit. Deidara looked at her hand when she uncovered her mouth and saw that there was more blood on it.

The brunette fell back onto the bed, her breathing erratic. She grabbed at her heart just as both Sasori and Kakuzu burst into the room.

"What the hell is the matter with her?" asked Kakuzu.

"I don't know, I was hoping _you_ could tell us, you being a medic and all, un!" Deidara spat. He just wanted to know what was wrong with Aoi.

Kakuzu, seeing the urgency of the situation, made his hands glow green and place them above her chest. "I'm going to have to remove the towel so I can sense what's wrong," he warned.

"Just do it; she needs to be healed!" commanded Sasori.

Kakuzu nodded, unwrapping the towel from around her, placing his hands on the chakra device. If it wasn't such a dire situation, Deidara would have been creeped out by the fact that the Taki-nin was touching Aoi's chest.

"Somehow, the chakra tendrils are constricting around her heart and lungs, and one of them has already punctured the left one," the stitched man finally answered. "I can try to repair the damage, but I'm not sure how to get the tendrils to stop tightening."

"Just do anything you can think of, un!" Deidara knew his voice sounded hysterical; he couldn't help it.

Kakuzu grunted and placed his hands on the device once more. After awhile, he finally spoke. "I fixed her lung. I also discovered that there was some sort of poison in her system that triggered this whole attack. Once I removed it, the tendrils moved back into their proper positions."

"That bastard! He poisoned her, un! That's why he cut her!" spat Deidara.

If the stitched man didn't know what the blonde was talking about, he didn't say. It was either that, or he just really didn't care.

"There's something else, though," Kakuzu continued. "I saw that the maturation of her cells has virtually stopped. It's bizarre."

"What does that mean?" asked Sasori, concerned.

The Taki-nin replied, "It means that she won't physically be growing any more than this. To make it simpler, as long as the tendrils continue to be in her body, she won't age."

"What?" asked Deidara and Sasori simultaneously. "Can you remove them now, un?" asked Deidara.

"No. Like I said before; if I remove the device, she dies," stated the stitched man.

"That's not fair!" the bomber spat. "How dare Orochimaru do this to her, un? How dare he take away her chance to blossom into something beautiful?"

"I think she's already beautiful, brat." Sasori whispered this so softly that the Iwa-nin thought it was for the puppet master himself.

"She's stabilized for now; can I go?" Kakuzu asked, looking bored.

"Fine, un," said Deidara.

The stitched-nin nodded and left.

"We should probably get to sleep. Right, brat?" asked Sasori.

"I guess, un. What happened with Pein-sama anyways?"

"He refused to kick Tobi out of the Akatsuki, and said that if there is another incident involving Aoi, he will kill her," stated the redhead.

"That's not fair, un!"

"Try telling that pierced bastard that," retorted Sasori.

"We're just going to have to protect her from now on, un," suggested Deidara, rubbing his eyes. After everything that had happened, he was exhausted. He hoped he wouldn't have any nightmares; he needed a good night's sleep, a luxury he hadn't had since he came back from Orochimaru's. "Goodnight, Sasori no danna, un."

"Good night, brat," sighed the puppet master. Once Deidara got into his bed, the redhead turned off the light, but not before grabbing a blanket and an extra pillow, since he would have to sleep on the floor this night.

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Sasori couldn't sleep; he was too busy thinking about what Kakuzu had said. While Deidara was upset, the puppet master was happy. He had wondered how a long-term relationship would work if she aged and he did not, but he no longer had to worry about that. _I never thought I'd be thanking Orochimaru, _he thought. But he did; the sannin had indirectly helped the redhead, ironically. He just hoped he'd never have to see the golden-eyed man to thank him.

He also thought of Pein's ultimatum. He was truly terrified of what the pierced man would do to the girl if another problem would arise. He would hate to choose between the organization that had become like his family and the person he loved most, but he knew that he would always side with Aoi. He'd worry about betraying his partner, but he knew that the bomber would side with him.

He let those thoughts buzz around in his head until he fell into a dreamless sleep.

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And that's the end of Chapter Thirteen. Once I saw what chapter I was on, I just had to title it "Luck". Just for the irony.

Pein is such a jerk, but understand that he puts his organization before everything else. His goals are his number one priority.

…Poor Aoi; she's stuck looking the same forever. She is NOT immortal; she can still die. She just can't age. I just wanted to clear that up, so she doesn't sound like a Mary-Sue.

Nope, Sasori, Orochimaru is far from being gone, lol. That's all I'm saying without spoiling future chapters!


	15. Chapter Fourteen: Aesthetics

Welcome to Chapter Fourteen! Before I continue with the author's notes, I'm just going to say that I am not going to be able to update next Thursday. I will continue to update every day until that point. The reason for this is that I'm going to be performing in a play, and will be at school for a long time that day! I'm super excited (this is my first play) and I just want to apologize ahead of time for that.

Now for the fun stuff! I am grateful for all the reviews I got! To all who reviewed, thank you! I'll also thank everyone who added this story to their alerts or favorites!

This chapter will focus on Aoi and Deidara (as usual). Madara-the-creeper gets a part about him, as well as our favorite snake sannin (not!). I hope you all enjoy the chapter!

Nope, I still don't own Naruto.

*Warning: this chapter contains violence, language, etc.*

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-Chapter Fourteen: Aesthetics-

Orochimaru sat in his office, going through all his files. This meant he was extremely angry; he normally made Kabuto do all his paperwork. _Damn those Akatsuki bastards, _he thought. Madara had told him Aoi had information about the future, yet since the failed experiment took so long, he hadn't had time to interrogate the brunette. And since his former partner had taken her away from him, he wasn't sure that he ever would. _Damn it all to hell! Unless…_ The sannin realized he could contact Madara again and request for the girl to be delivered to him once more. _And the blonde too. I want to have more…fun…with him._ Orochimaru licked his lips when he thought of Sasori's new partner. While Aoi got boring after awhile, since she was much weaker than the sannin, Deidara put up a fight before he was attacked. In Orochimaru's eyes, that made him more attractive. _Yes, I'll tell Madara to bring Deidara to me as well. _He smirked at what torture he could put both of them through, and licked his lips once more. _Yes, this is going to be quite fun indeed…_

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Early in the morning, Aoi woke, feeling better than she did the night before. The burning feeling she had before was gone, as well as the fear. She felt like a new person, almost as if she was born again.

The brunette sat up quietly; she didn't want to disturb Sasori and Deidara, who were surprisingly still sleeping. As the blanket fell from around her, she realized that she wasn't wearing a shirt. Blushing, she grabbed her bra from Sasori's cloak and put it on. She silently tiptoed over to Deidara's dresser and grabbed one of his shirts from a drawer. _Two of Sasori's shirts already got destroyed; I don't think Deidara would mind if I took one of his. _The bomber's shirt was much longer than Sasori's and looser as well. Aoi didn't mind; as long as it felt comfortable, she would wear it. Taking the brush and deodorant Konan gave her, she walked into the bathroom, locking the door behind her.

Though she felt less afraid than before, she was still terrified of Madara and wanted to wash off all her feelings from the night before, both literally and figuratively. Once she undressed, she turned the water on lukewarm—she knew that Kakuzu would have a fit if she increased the hot water bill—and stepped into the shower. She was still a bit nervous about her puppet arm getting wet, though Sasori had assured her it was waterproof. She sighed and closed her eyes; she wanted to enjoy the shower.

Once she washed her hair, Aoi stepped out of the shower, drying herself off. She got dressed, and proceeded to walk back into the room.

"Ah, Aoi-san, you're up, un," said Deidara, trying to rub the sleep out of his eyes. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes, thanks for asking, Deidara-san," she replied. "Whatever you did really helped; I feel better than ever!"

"I didn't do anything; Sasori-danna and Kakuzu-san did all the medical stuff, un."

"Oh, that's okay; you were there for me, so I'm thanking you anyways," said Aoi.

"Aoi-san, there's a couple things you should know."

The brunette whirled around and saw that Sasori was up as well. "Kakuzu-san discovered something last night. Something that Orochimaru did." He spat the name of the sannin with disgust. "Your cells have stopped maturing."

Aoi looked at the redhead, confused. "What do you mean?"

The puppet master answered gently, "It means that you have stopped physically aging. Though you will get older, your body will remain the same."

Aoi numbly nodded. On one hand, she was saddened by the fact that she would never get the chance to look any older than eighteen—and she didn't even look that old. But on the other hand, she realized that now she had more of a chance to be in a relationship with Sasori; he didn't age either. She wasn't sure how she should feel; at the moment, she just felt numb.

"We also found out why Tobi cut you last night," continued the redhead. "He poisoned you with something that made the device constrict the chakra tendrils around your heart and lungs. We saved you just in time." Suddenly he looked straight into her eyes, showing more emotion than he ever did in the anime and manga. "Promise me you won't go anywhere unless one of us is there to protect you; I don't want that masked bastard to hurt you ever again."

Aoi nodded. She had never seen Sasori like this before. "I promise, Sasori-san."

Said puppet master nodded. "Deidara-san and I will escort you to breakfast. After that, wherever you want to go, one of us will follow you there. You are not to leave our sight."

"We will also keep Tobi away from you, un," added Deidara. "Now let's go."

The three walked down to the kitchen, with the artists on either side of Aoi. When they entered the room, all eyes were on them. Everyone was present, except for Pein, Konan, and Madara. Whispers followed them as they got their plates and sat down.

"Are you okay, Aoi-chan?" Kisame asked concernedly. "Since you didn't show up last night, I knew something was up. Then I heard what happened." His eyes narrowed, making him look even more sharklike. "If Tobi even shows up here, I'll dismember him with Samehada!"

Everyone started calling out to Aoi, minus Zetsu and Itachi, who stayed silent. The brunette wasn't used to all the attention and just blushed, eating the waffles Kisame made as fast as she could. "Can we get out of here, Deidara-san?" muttered Aoi. "I'm starting to feel claustrophobic."

"Sure, un," answered the bomber, grabbing her hand. It was more of a protective gesture than a romantic one, and Aoi didn't mind it.

"Brat, you'll have to take her wherever she wants by yourself. I must speak with Itachi-san about something," said Sasori.

Deidara nodded, and the two left the room. "Where do you want to go, un?"

"Let's go to your room. Since Itachi and Kisame's door is locked and my sketchbook is in there, maybe I could try sculpting," suggested the brunette.

"Sure, that sounds fun, un," the Iwa-nin said cheerfully.

They almost made it to the room when hands grabbed both of them from behind, a wet cloth covering their mouths and noses. Aoi started to struggle, unintentionally breathing in the sickly sweet odor of the cloth. _Chloroform! _As her vision went blurry, she saw Deidara trying to struggle free as well, but failing. Her eyes started closing involuntarily before she succumbed to the unconsciousness.

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Once Aoi was fully unconscious, Madara dropped her. Orochimaru, who held Deidara, gently stroked his face before laying him on the ground next to the girl.

"You grab the girl; I'll grab Blondie," the sannin hissed. "We should get out of here before anyone notices."

The oldest Uchiha nodded, picking up Aoi and slinging her over her shoulder. Orochimaru did the same with Deidara. "I will follow you until you are out of Ame. From there on, you're on your own. This will be the last favor I will do for you, Orochimaru."

"Understood," nodded the golden-eyed man. "I got what I wanted, so I'll never bother you again."

Madara realized that he was talking about Deidara and grimaced. Sure, he loved torturing the blonde with his Tobi persona, and sure he had thought it was fun whenever he saw the blonde in pain, but he realized Orochimaru was becoming _obsessed _with the Iwa-nin. Every time he would contact him, the snake-man would always manage to ask him about Deidara. It almost made him want to refuse to give the blonde to Orochimaru, but he rid his head of that thought as soon as it appeared. It would be best if both the bomber and the girl were out of the way.

It had taken the two three hours to make it completely out of Amegakure. Just like Madara promised, he left Orochimaru with his two hostages at the outskirts of the city and headed back to the Akatsuki base.

When he returned, Pein was waiting for him. "Where the hell were you, _Madara_? I didn't authorize you to go on any missions."

"I just went out to clear my head. I don't think that the other members want so see me at the moment," answered the masked man.

"And speaking of that, what the hell were you thinking? You are messing up everything!" hissed the pierced man.

"I did it for you, Pein-sama," retorted Madara. "I wasn't going to rape her; I just was going to poison her so she wouldn't jeopardize anything else. Then the stupid puppet saw me and saved the bitch."

"I appreciate what you were trying to do, but stay the _hell _away from her. If anyone kills her, it's me. Understood?"

"Yes, _Leader-sama_," mocked the oldest Uchiha.

"Good," Pein nodded. "Now get out of my sight!"

Madara nodded and took off running.

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When Orochimaru got back to the base, he roughly dropped his two hostages on the floor. When he looked around, he noticed that there was another person in the interrogation room. "Oh, it's _you. _I was hoping you could help me out with this interrogation. Once I wake them up, you can take the girl. I believe that your abilities are the best when it comes to looking into someone's mind."

"Hn." was all the figure said.

"Good," nodded the sannin. He concentrated some chakra into his fingers and poked both Aoi's and Deidara's foreheads, jolting them awake.

"Welcome back," he stated. His blood raced as he saw the brunette and the Iwa-nin look at him with raw fear in their eyes. He turned to the figure lazily sitting on a chair and continued. "The girl has information on the future; she might know things about your brother as well. You can take her into Interrogation Room Two now, Sasuke."

The black-haired man watched with a smirk on his face as his protégé literally dragged the girl by one of her arms into the next room.

"Get your fucking hands off her, un!" yelled Deidara.

"Oh, Dei-kun, don't be sad!" hissed Orochimaru. "You're getting interrogated by _me!_" The snake-man smirked evilly as the blonde's face drained of color.

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Aoi winced in pain as Sasuke slapped her once more. "Tell me everything you know about Itachi!" This was not the Sasuke she used to like; this was the vengeance-obsessed version.

"Make me!" she spat.

"You leave me no choice," he said, shaking his head. He activated his Sharingan and stared at Aoi. She looked away. She knew that he didn't have Mangekyo yet, but she didn't want to betray Itachi.

"Look at me, you bitch!" he shouted, grabbing her chin and forcing her to stare directly into his eyes.

She felt all her memories flash before her eyes, from being replaced in the cafeteria to finding out that Itachi was really a good guy. She suddenly felt her chin being let go, and she fell to the floor.

"No!" hissed Sasuke. "That's a lie! Itachi massacred the Uchihas; he ruined my life! Tell me the truth!" The youngest Uchiha used his Sharingan on Aoi again, only to get the same answer. "How are you resisting me?" he asked. "No matter, I have ways of making you talk!"

He made some hand signs, and Aoi shuddered. She knew what jutsu they were for. She closed her eyes just as the fire hit the side of her face

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Deidara looked at the wall in horror as he heard screams of agony coming from it. _Fucking Uchiha bastard! How dare he?_

"Look at me, Dei-kun," snapped Orochimaru, standing over him. Right after Sasuke dragged Aoi into the next room, the sannin broke both the blonde's arms. Deidara suspected that he did this so he couldn't use his jutsu, and so he wouldn't be able to resist anything that the golden-eyed man planned for him.

Deidara was snapped out of his thoughts when the snake-man kneeled to his level, gently caressing his face. "You're so beautiful," he murmured. "And now you're all mine; there's no puppet master to save you!"

With that, he leaned over and put his arm around the blonde, pulling him closer. "Let's finish what we started." He pulled the Iwa-nin closer, viciously kissing him. After awhile he pulled away, leaving Deidara disgusted. Tears started to fill his eyes; he knew what was going to happen next, and he knew that Orochimaru was right; there was no Sasori to save him this time. _Damn it! Why am I so weak?_ He knew the answer as soon as he thought the question though; he wasn't weak, Orochimaru was just stronger.

Some higher power must have taken pity on the bomber, for Sasuke burst through the door, dragging an unconscious Aoi with him. "She resisted me!" he spat.

_Good job, Aoi! I knew she was strong! _Deidara thought. He noticed that Orochimaru's attention was now on Sasuke. He was safe. For now.

"Come, Sasuke, we must discuss this," said Orochimaru. "See you later, Dei-kun!" He and the younger Uchiha walked out of the room, locking the door behind them.

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And that's the end of Chapter Fourteen. Told you Orochimaru was back!

…Even Madara thinks he's a creeper.

In this story, Sasuke won't be completely evil. He just seems like it for now.

I just realized something ironic; Deidara gets saved by Sasuke, who pretty much kills him in the manga. How ironic, lolz.

Don't worry; nothing bad will happen to Deidara; this was the closest it gets. He will get beat up a bit more, but that's about it.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	16. Chapter Fifteen: Beauty

Welcome to Chapter Fifteen! A big thank-you goes to everyone who read up to this point. On Microsoft Word, this is the 112th page! I've never written any fanfics this long before, so I'm super excited about that.

I'm also excited that I have over sixty reviews! I never expected for the story to get this popular; a great, big thank-you goes to anyone who reviewed or put this on their favorites or alerts! You all are awesome!

This chapter will focus on Sasori, Deidara, Aoi, and (shudder) Orochimaru. Kisame also gets a part about him.

This chapter backtracks to the day Aoi and Deidara were taken.

*Warning: This chapter contains language and violence. It will also be darker than usual.*

*Sigh* I still don't own Naruto.

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-Chapter Fifteen: Beauty-

Sasori knew something was up when neither Deidara nor Aoi came back for lunch and dinner. The redhead saw that Itachi and Kisame noticed as well; they were looking around the kitchen, puzzled looks on their faces. Hidan and Kakuzu were arguing about something yet again, and Zetsu was talking to himself about pruning his prized rose bushes. Pein, Konan, and Tobi were not present. _What's taking them so long? _It wasn't like his partner to skip meals; since the blonde ate so much food, Sasori once thought that he had an extra stomach as well as the mouths.

He was starting to get impatient; he was going to barge right into his room and give both of them a lecture on punctuality. However, when he reached the hallway where his room was located, he knew that something was wrong. He saw a rag on the floor, radiating a sickly-sweet scent. His eyes narrowed as he recognized it. _Chloroform. _He knew right then that Aoi and Deidara had been taken. And by whom. _Damn that snake bastard! How the hell did he get in here? _He knew that he would have to talk to Pein. The orange-haired man wouldn't like it, but it wasn't just Aoi that was gone this time; Deidara was taken as well. The puppet master was sure that Pein would want him back.

After he talked to the pierced man, Sasori packed a bag with all the necessary supplies. Pein had let him go on the mission, if only to bring Deidara back. He had explicitly stated that he didn't care what happened to the girl. He also let Sasori choose his partner. The redhead thought long and hard about who should come with him. Realizing that Sasuke was with the sannin, he ruled Itachi out. Zetsu was better as a spy, and Hidan and Kakuzu were sent on a short mission, so they were out as well. That left Konan, Kisame, or Tobi. Pein wouldn't let Konan go on missions unless she was with him, and he sure as hell wasn't going to ask Tobi. _Kisame it is, then. _He was fine with this; the blue-skinned man had jinchuriki-like chakra levels. Plus, he was one of the members who actually cared about the brunette. _Now to find him. _

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Kisame was starting to get bored. After dinner, he and Itachi went back to their room. Said Uchiha was reading a very thick book, while the shark-nin played with the bandages on Samehada. He was just about to walk to the common room to watch some TV when he heard his door slam open, Sasori walking into the room.

"What the hell, Sasori?" he asked, surprised. The puppeteer was never this rude.

Sasori narrowed his eyes and explained what had happened. Once he was finished, Kisame was sure that his mouth literally fell open. "So what you're saying is that both Aoi-chan and Deidara-san were taken by Orochimaru?" the blue-skinned man finally asked.

The redhead nodded. "I need you to be my partner for the rescue mission. Pein-sama already approved of it. Pack your bag and let's go!"

Kisame nodded. Once his bag was packed, the two headed out. The shark-nin tried to make conversation with the puppet master, but Sasori didn't seem like talking. The two traveled in silence until they stopped in a forest for the night.

The two repeated the same routine for the next three days, only stopping to eat and sleep. They masked their chakra signatures when they entered the forest where Orochimaru's base was.

"Ready, Kisame-san?" asked Sasori, eyes narrowing.

"Hn," was all the shark-nin answered with.

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Deidara woke, shivering. He was still locked in the interrogation room from the night before. Orochimaru hadn't returned, but Kabuto came in once to heal the bomber's broken arms and the burns on Aoi's face. Said brunette had her arms wrapped around the blonde. It was anything but romantic; the girl was absolutely _scared_. She had hugged him out of fear of what Orochimaru would do next.

The Iwa-nin was ready to fall back to sleep when the door burst open, slamming against the wall. His face drained of color when he saw that Orochimaru had entered. Sasuke, however, was nowhere to be seen.

"Well, it looks like you two have gotten comfortable," hissed the sannin, noticing how Aoi's arms were wrapped around Deidara. "However, I'm going to have to borrow Dei-kun for awhile."

At this, Aoi blinked all the sleep out of her eyes and shakily stood in front of Deidara. "Leave him alone! I'm the one who knows all the information!"

_Aoi, _thought Deidara, looking at the girl in dismay. _She's not strong enough to handle him; he'll kill her!_

Sensing what the bomber was thinking, the girl weakly smiled, the metal braces on her teeth gleaming in the morning sunlight. "I'll be okay Deidara-san!" Her brave words were marred by how shaky her voice was. Deidara realized that she was terrified.

"I was hoping to have some fun with Sasori's new partner before I interrogated you, but I guess you can be first," sighed the sannin. He suddenly lunged at the brunette, grabbing her by her hair. She screamed in surprise and pain as the snake-man dragged her into the next room.

_Aoi! _Deidara thought frantically. He tried to open the door, but realized it was locked. _Damn it! _"Hey! Orochimaru!" he called, banging on the door. "Come back and fight me like a man, un!"

Silence only answered him.

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Aoi was so much in shock that she didn't resist when Orochimaru threw her on a lab table and strapped her wrists and ankles to it. She did scream when the sannin drew a kunai and slashed it across her right arm.

"Now, I know whatever you told Sasuke was a lie," he hissed. "I'm giving you one more chance; tell me the truth! My protégé might have gone easy on you, but I sure as hell won't!"

Aoi thought of Deidara in the next room, and of all the Akatsuki. She couldn't betray them. She had gotten emotionally stronger from the last time she was with the black-haired man, and didn't think she would break as easily as last time. "Hell, no!" she finally said, spitting in the sannin's face.

"You bitch!" he spat, slapping her across the face. "You shouldn't have done that!" He then made some hand signs and created two bunshins. "Now, answer me! What do you know?" He grabbed her neck and squeezed it.

"No!" rasped the brunette.

"Suit yourself," answered Orochimaru. He looked at a shelf filled with various instruments of torture and grabbed a pair of pliers. He looked at the bunshins and nodded. One of them pressed her head against the table, while the other one forced her mouth open.

Aoi tried to thrash away, but she found that she couldn't due to the pressure on her forehead, which was continuing to increase.

The original Orochimaru smiled evilly as he walked over to the girl. "Whatever pain you're going to be in, you brought it upon yourself!" With that, brought the pliers into her mouth and began to viciously rip the brackets and wires off the brunette's teeth.

It was impossible for Aoi to escape with one of the bunshin's hands forcing her mouth to stay open and her arms and legs bound to the table. However, she could still cry, which she did. Her tears mingled with the blood dripping out of her mouth, and it was beginning for it to be hard for her to breathe.

After what seemed like an eternity, Orochimaru let the bunshins let go of her. The brunette almost screamed at the pain that followed, but didn't so she wouldn't give the sannin the satisfaction.

"Still not talking?" he murmured. "That's fine with me; there's one more experiment that I've been _dying _to try out!"

Aoi's stomach sank. Her head was telling her to spill all that she knew, but her heart was refusing to let her. She knew that Orochimaru would go after the Akatsuki if she gave any info on them. _No, _she thought. _I'll take whatever torture he's going to throw at me_!

The snake-man grabbed some scissors and started to cut the brunette's hair so that it styled like Sasori's, maybe a little longer. Instead of the messy bangs the puppet master had, Orochimaru cut them so they rested right at her eyebrows. _Why the hell is he cutting my hair?_ Aoi wondered.

She felt pressure on her head again and realized that one of the bunshins was pressing down on her forehead once more. The other one held her shoulders down. The real sannin went back to the shelf and grabbed a scalpel. When he got back to her, he pretty much loomed over her. "Last chance, _Aoi-chan,_" he said, caressing her face.

"No," she whispered. She was going to be strong for Deidara.

"Very well," smirked the sannin. He stopped rubbing her face and grabbed the area around her left eye, forcing it open.

Realizing what was going to happen, Aoi tried to thrash away, but it was too late. She couldn't even close her eye when Orochimaru stabbed the scalpel into it.

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Orochimaru smirked when he heard the girl's animalistic screams. He dug the scalpel around her eye socket, severing the optic nerve. She started to fall unconscious, but he ordered one of his bunshins to revive her; he needed her eyes open for the experiment. He licked his lips when he saw the fresh blood pouring from the wound after he had removed the eye; he was having fun. The sannin sent the third bunshin to get something from another cabinet. He brought it over to Orochimaru, who took it. It was a small, mechanical eyeball. There was nothing special about it; it wasn't for long distance. The only thing unusual about it was the fact that it was metal.

Using his very limited medical expertise, he stopped Aoi's eye socket from bleeding. The golden-eyed man nodded to the bunshin, who rummaged through the cabinet and gave the original sannin a small welding torch, smaller than the one he used to seal the chakra device to her skin in the previous experiment.

"Please, don't," Aoi whispered, knowing what was going to happen.

Orochimaru cruelly smiled and signaled for the second bunshin to let go of her shoulders; she was too weak to thrash around. The copy nodded and took the eyeball from the original. He brought the wire that came from the back of the artificial eye into her eye socket and stuck the device into the back of it. The original Orochimaru turned on the torch and stuck it in the socket, cauterizing the wire to it. Aoi screamed in pain, tears falling from her undamaged eye. The snake-man then pushed the rest of the eyeball into the socket, until it fit perfectly. He cauterized that as well, causing the brunette to scream again. A dark blue light glowed where an iris should be, and a clear lens was positioned where a pupil should be.

"Can you see?" asked Orochimaru, eager to know whether he succeeded or failed. The girl just looked up at him, original eye unfocused. "Answer me, girl!" He shook her shoulders.

"Yes," she finally whispered, falling unconscious. Her right eye closed, while the left one stayed open, though it stopped glowing. The black-haired man pondered waking her up and interrogating her further, but decided against it; she wasn't talking any time soon. He made his bunshins disappear, and unstrapped the girl from the table. Roughly picking her up, he walked into the adjoining room, carelessly dropping her in front of a horrified Deidara. "You're next, Dei-kun!" he hissed, smirking.

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Deidara wanted to retch as he saw the unconscious form of Aoi sprawled out in front of him. Besides a cut on her arm, Orochimaru had implanted _something _in place of her left eye. "You're sick!" he spat.

"Oh, Dei-kun, don't be like that," the sannin replied, grabbing the blonde's shoulder and pulling him closer.

"Go to hell, un!" he shouted, punching the snake-man in the face. The golden-eyed man retaliated by kicking Deidara in the stomach, bringing him to his knees. "Get away from me!" he yelled. He noticed his voice sounded hysterical, but he didn't care. He didn't want the black-haired man anywhere _near _him.

When he tried to get up, Orochimaru tightly wrapped his arm around the bomber's middle back, bringing him closer. "You're mine!" he whispered into his ear. With one more pull, he brought the Iwa-nin close enough to kiss him. The blonde refused to open his mouth, so the sannin bit his lower lip, forcing his tongue in between his teeth. Orochimaru's other hand was tightly grasping his hair so he wouldn't escape.

The snake-man finally pulled away, leaving Deidara gasping for breath. "Enough of this," he said, smirking. "It's getting boring." The golden-eyed man proceeded to pull the bomber's shirt over his head.

"No!" he yelled, using his last bit of strength to push the sannin away as his shirt was pulled off. The blonde slipped however, falling to the floor on his side.

Orochimaru shook his head. "Now Dei-kun, do I have to break your arms again?" Instead of doing that, the black-haired man stomped on his left leg.

_Damn it! I can't move now, _thought Deidara. Now he was starting to panic. He was sure that his luck had finally run out, and Orochimaru would have his way with him. _Someone just kill me before that happens! _

The sannin loomed over him, almost lying on top of him. Suddenly, his attention moved to the door. "Who the hell's there?" he barked.

The door then burst open, a concerned Kisame and a pissed-off Sasori running into the room.

"Get off of him!" Sasori spat, running towards his partner. Orochimaru must have been distracted by the redhead, for he didn't see Kisame appearing behind him, pushing him off of the blonde, who was now in shock. The blue-skinned man gently picked up the Iwa-nin, who was now shivering. Deidara, knowing he was safe, finally gave into unconsciousness.

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Sasori just lost it. He knew that he should have summoned his puppets, but he was too angry to think straight. He lunged at his former partner, trying to wrap his hands around his throat. "How dare you do this to him!" he snarled. He was sure that he made it just in time, judging by the position the sannin was in when he and Kisame barged into the room.

The puppet master was broken out of his thoughts when Orochimaru took off running down the hallway. "Get back here, you bastard!" he yelled, starting to chase after him.

"Sasori-san, stop!" called Kisame.

"Why?" spat the redhead. "I can't let him live after this!"

"I know, I feel the same way, but I think Aoi needs you right now!" answered the shark-nin.

At hearing Aoi's name, Sasori snapped out of his rage. "What's the matter with her?" he asked.

"See for yourself," said the blue-skinned man.

Sasori walked over to where Aoi lay, kneeling down to see what was the matter with her. His eyes widened when he saw what Orochimaru had done. "That bastard!" he whispered, gently picking up the brunette and cradling her in his arms. He sensed that she was cold, colder than normal. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you," he whispered sadly. Kisame only looked at him, tilting his head. The puppet master realized this was the first time the shark-nin ever saw him showing real emotion. "Let's get out of here," he continued, his voice getting louder.

The two took off running, with Kisame carrying Deidara and Sasori carrying Aoi. They killed all the Oto-nin standing in their way, and soon they were out the doors. Having an idea, Sasori removed his Akatsuki cloak and activated one of the scrolls on his back. He shot a stream of fire out of his hands, setting this part of the base ablaze. Once he was finished, the redhead put his cloak back on and spat on the ground. "Think of that as a parting gift, you snake bastard!" he hissed. He would have liked to stick around to watch it burn, but he knew it wasn't safe to stay here. "Let's go home, Kisame-san," he finally continued.

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And that's the end of Chapter Fifteen! I hope you all think it's as action-packed as I did!

Yay! Kisame gets screentime! (Besides Deidara and Sasori, he's my other favorite)

I know Sasori shouldn't be able to smell odors, but my theory is that he has some sort of sensory system, if only just for smelling, even if he doesn't technically breathe.

Ick, that whole part about her eye getting removed was creepy for me to write (Seriously, my number one fear is things poking my eyes; I can't even wear contacts, lolz).

Aoi's new eye is just a mechanical eye. It can't see long distance or anything special. She just has normal vision.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! The next one's coming soon!


	17. Chapter Sixteen: Emotion

Welcome to Chapter Sixteen! Compared to the previous chapter, this one might seem boring. It's basically about how Aoi and Deidara settle back into the Akatsuki.

I hope Orochimaru wasn't too OOC with his obsession with Deidara. He seemed to be the type of person that sinks his teeth into something he wants—both figuratively and literally—until he gets bored of it. (Sasuke is an example).

I can't believe that this story has over sixty reviews! I am so happy, and I thank everyone who reviewed. I'm also thanking people that put this story on their favorites or alert list. All of you are awesome!

This chapter will be focused on Sasori, Itachi, and Hidan (I never wrote a part about him yet; I hope I don't make him too OOC).

The chapter takes place a week after Aoi and Deidara are rescued from Orochimaru's.

*Warning: This chapter contains language*

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-Chapter Sixteen: Emotion-

Sasori was having a hard time sleeping. It was always hard for him to just close his eyes and give into unconsciousness, but now it got even worse since Deidara and Aoi returned from Orochimaru's. The brunette was back in his room; she refused to sleep anywhere else. She didn't wake up from the nightmares anymore, but then again, she barely even woke up at all. The puppet master sensed it was an emotional thing; the girl was physically fine. If you could count having a mechanical eye as 'fine'. When she was awake, she seemed to be an empty shell. She spoke to no one except the two artists, if she even spoke to them at all. All she did was eat, sleep, and draw.

His partner, who used to be such a heavy sleeper, bolted awake at the slightest sound. He also became extremely jumpy and flinched whenever someone got extremely close to him. But by far the worst result of Orochimaru's treatment of him was the nightmares. They came about every other night, and would leave the blonde shaking and screaming, calling out Sasori's name. This hurt the redhead most of all; Deidara's pride usually prevented him from asking anyone for help.

Sasori looked at the bomber once more. While his face used to look so peaceful, so innocent in sleep, that was not the case anymore. The Iwa-nin's face was twisted with fear. _What did Orochimaru do to him? _he thought. Any time he brought up the subject to Deidara, he wouldn't answer.

Suddenly, but quietly, Sasori sat up in his bed. He couldn't take it anymore; he needed to know exactly what had happened to his partner to make him act this way. _I need Itachi's help; I need him to see Deidara's memories. _He walked over to the blonde's bed and just watched him, ready to comfort him if he had another nightmare. As the minutes ticked by, the redhead didn't think that Deidara was going to wake up anytime soon. Without even thinking, he brushed the bomber's hair away from his face. He let go when he felt Deidara flinch and shudder at his touch. Sasori backed away from his partner, sickened.

He turned to Aoi, who ironically looked at peace, despite the mechanical eye marring her once-pretty face. The puppeteer wanted to hold her close and never let her go. _Everything's getting so twisted, _he thought, referring to both the incidents with Orochimaru and his own emotions. _I never thought I'd _feel _again, much less love someone. _He was actually starting to become afraid of himself; he wasn't used to the onslaught of emotions that he now felt. He already hurt Deidara once, and was worried that it would happen again. He was also disturbed by the fact that he was starting to _desire_ Aoi. He kneeled down next to her and, as he did with Deidara, brushed the brunette's hair away from her face. Unlike the Iwa-nin, she didn't flinch. Instead, she moved closer to the puppet master, sleepily wrapping her arms around him.

_What? _Sasori was surprised; he had never been hugged, not even as a child. He reflexively stiffened and almost removed the girl's arms from around him. He then realized that he wasn't wearing a shirt, and that Aoi's arms were brushing against the coil of metal rope that was where his stomach would be. He thought that she would flinch at the coldness of the metal, but she didn't.

After awhile of just staring at her, the redhead's eyes began to close. He didn't realize that he had laid down next to Aoi, her arms still wrapped around him, until he was too tired to move. _I'll get Itachi in the morning, _he though sleepily, closing his eyes and finally giving in to unconsciousness.

When Sasori awoke, he was disoriented. He knew he wasn't on his bed, but didn't know why. When he looked at Aoi, who was extremely close to him, he remembered. If he could blush, he would have. He had just spent his night sleeping _right next to _her. He quickly but quietly stood up and looked over at Deidara. Realizing that he was still asleep, he tiptoed to the door and quietly opened it. He wanted to find Itachi so he could look into Deidara's mind once more, while his guard was down. _Now, where to look?_

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Itachi was walking down the hallway that led to the kitchen when he passed Sasori.

"Itachi-san, can you do me a favor?" the redhead asked.

"What is it?" asked the Uchiha, eyes narrowing.

"I need you to find out what Orochimaru did to Deidara. I don't know what's wrong with him."

"Why won't he tell you himself?" inquired the raven-haired man. "Is it really right for me to pry?"

"I don't know why he won't tell me!" Sasori burst out. "Every time I bring it up, he goes silent and refuses to talk. He looks absolutely terrified though."

"Tell me, Sasori-san, does Deidara-san have any weird markings on his skin?" asked Itachi.

The puppet master looked at him, confused. "Not that I know of. Why?"

"This is just a wild guess, but I was thinking that he might _not be able _to tell you what happened, even if he wanted to," answered Itachi.

"Like some sort of jutsu that makes a person unable to talk about the caster?" asked the redhead.

"Exactly."

"I don't know, Itachi-san. Will you please do this for me? And for him; I want him to heal as fast as possible," stated Sasori.

If Itachi didn't know the personality of the person he was talking to, he could have sworn that Sasori sounded…sad. "Fine," he finally said. "I'll look at his memories."

Obvious relief showed on the puppeteer's face. _What's going on with him? _thought Itachi.

Once the two were inside Sasori's room, Itachi walked over to Deidara. "Hey!" he shouted, shaking the blonde awake.

"Itachi!" Sasori snapped.

The raven-haired man paid no attention to the redhead. He activated his Sharingan, looking into Deidara's terrified blue eyes…

The Uchiha found himself in Deidara's mind once more. "What happened during your time with Orochimaru?" he mentally shouted. Instead of being sucked into a memory, all Itachi got was blackness. He repeated his question, shaking the blonde for emphasis. The blackness continued to stare at him, when an orange light suddenly burst from it. He heard someone—Deidara, he guessed—cry out, and felt a hand grab his shoulder.

"Stop it, you're hurting him!" _Sasori, _Itachi realized. But he was too wrapped up in the blackness of Deidara's mind to care. He wanted to see something, _anything, _to replace the terrible darkness, for he found that he couldn't escape it. Before he even knew what he was doing, his eyes changed into a different pattern, and he found himself whispering, "Mangekyo Sharingan!"

The blackness then changed into Itachi's infamous Tsukuyomi. He found himself holding a sword and staring at Deidara, who was chained to a wall. "If you do not tell me what happened, you will experience getting fatally stabbed for seventy-two hours," he hissed. Deidara just looked at him blankly. Not being able to take the silence anymore, he thrust the sword into the left side of Deidara's chest. He heard the blonde scream, and relished the sound; anything was better than the silence. He continued to stab the bomber over and over again until he felt someone knock him over, shattering the illusion. He found himself lying on the floor, with Sasori standing over him, looking furious.

"What the hell was that for?" he spat. "I told you to look into his memories, not to _torture _him! Didn't you hear him screaming?"

"I do not know what came over me," said the Uchiha, which was the truth. He didn't know why he wanted to suddenly attack the Iwa-nin. It was though someone else was using his powers by attacking his mind with the horrible darkness. Then, realization dawned on him.

"Get the hell out of here! I can't believe you!" 

"Orochimaru put a jutsu on him," stated Itachi, getting up from the floor. "He can't talk about what happened to him, for some reason. As well as that, anyone who looks into his mind is absorbed by a darkness that makes a person's usually suppressed dark side come out."

Sasori still looked at him accusingly, his hand on Deidara's shoulder. The blonde was shaking, and his eyes were unfocused. Itachi also noticed that Aoi was up as well, her hand on Deidara's other shoulder.

"I know you didn't mean to, Itachi-san," she whispered. "But please, don't look into his memories again. I don't know what you did, but I think you really hurt him."

Itachi looked at Deidara once more, feeling ashamed as the bomber slumped forward, unconscious. _What have I done? _

"I think you better leave, Itachi," Sasori said coldly.

The raven-haired man nodded. "I can take Aoi to breakfast, if she wants to go."

The puppet master looked at Aoi. "It will be good for you to leave the room. You haven't eaten a decent breakfast in a week."

The brunette slowly nodded, looking down. "O-okay, Sasori-san, if you say so."

Itachi let her exit the room first, with him following after.

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Sasori lay Deidara back onto his bed, smoothing his hair so it looked a bit like its original style. When Itachi had used Mangekyo on the bomber, Sasori really wanted to kill him. He didn't know why, but he was getting extremely protective over his partner. Maybe it was knowing his past, or maybe it was because of Orochimaru's apparent obsession with him; he didn't know for sure. What he did know was that he hated to see him in such a frightened and helpless state; this was not the Deidara he knew.

For some reason, his eyes traveled to the blonde's wrist. He saw two reddened dots on it, and remembered one of Orochimaru's snakes bit him. The redhead's eyes widened in realization. _That's how he cast the jutsu! _He felt anger bubbling up inside him. _The bastard planned this all along! _He subconsciously grabbed Deidara's hand. He knew that once Orochimaru wanted something, he never gave up until he got it. He realized that the sannin would keep returning for his partner until he got what he wanted from him. _That won't happen. I'll make sure of it! _He wasn't sure how long he stood like that, but realized that he should work on his puppets to pass the time before Deidara woke up. He let go of the blonde's hand, walked to his workbench, and began to work.

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Hidan was surprised when Aoi followed Itachi into the kitchen. "Yo, Weasel, how'd you convince the bitch to leave her room?"

Itachi only grunted, while Aoi flinched. _What's the matter with her? I've gotten many injuries worse than hers, and _I'm _not traumatized, _he thought. It took him awhile, but understanding finally dawned on his face. Unlike himself, Aoi was not a masochist, at least he didn't think she was, she was not immortal, and she had no chakra. Once the Jashinist thought of this, he thought her reaction was reasonable. Plus, Orochimaru was involved, and he was a person who would scar anyone for life. Hidan had never met the man, but he heard what had happened between him and Itachi, as well as his current obsession with Deidara. _And everyone thinks _I'm _sick in the head! _

He watched as Aoi grabbed her food and sat down next to him. _That's new. _

"Good morning, Hidan-san," she said, looking down at her food.

"Oi, Aoi-chan, I'm not that fucking scary, am I? At least fucking look at me!"

The brunette squeaked and looked up at the immortal. "Yes, Hidan-san."

The silver-haired man surprisingly felt…bad…about scaring her. "Hey, I'm…sorry," he hesitantly said.

"Hidan apologizes; the universe is going to explode!" laughed Kisame.

"Shut the fuck up, Fish-Dick!" yelled the Jashinist, ready to throw his food at the shark-nin. However, he refrained from doing so when he heard a feminine giggle. "Aoi-chan?" he asked. He had never heard the girl laugh before; he really didn't think she was capable of it.

"That was funny," she whispered. "I've almost forgotten how good it feels to laugh."

When she said that, the immortal narrowed his eyes. _She's eighteen-years-old. She should be happy, not depressed. _He found that liked the sound of the girl's laugh. But not as much as he liked pain. He looked at the clock on the wall and realized that he hadn't done his weekly ritual yet. He threw his plate in the sink—much to Kakuzu's annoyance—and ran to his room. He wanted to enjoy it.

00000

Sasori was so immersed in working on a puppet that he barely heard Deidara crying out in his sleep. The redhead didn't want to hear the bomber sound like this, but realized he could reveal some info on what happened to him.

"Get away from me, un!" he muttered. "I don't belong to you! Leave me alone, un!"

The puppet master felt sick when he realized that he was talking about Orochimaru.

"Stop! I don't want this, un!" he continued. He then fell silent, leaving Sasori horrified. He wasn't sure how far the sannin went with his partner, but he sure as hell knew that the blonde wanted no part in any of it. _Damn it! Why couldn't I protect you? _He wanted to pull his own hair out; no matter how many times he told the Iwa-nin that he hated him, or mocked his art, or was annoyed by him, he would never wish _this _on him. He didn't deserve it. _If you ever return to how you were before, I'll never be annoyed by you again! _

Sasori knew that part of the reason that Orochimaru wanted Deidara was for revenge, but also realized that the sannin was genuinely attracted to him for some reason. The redhead looked over at the bomber, who was slightly shivering. The puppeteer gently covered him with a blanket, feeling sickened. _He will pay for what he did to you and Aoi! I'm going to kill him!_

00000

And that's the end of Chapter Sixteen! Sorry if it seemed a bit filler-ish, but I really wanted to focus on Sasori's reaction to what had happened. Itachi hasn't been in the story for awhile, so I wanted to give him a part of the chapter.

Hidan's part was really random, but I wanted to add some humor to this serious chapter. I hope it was all right; I've never written Hidan before, and I wanted to show some of his thoughts.

…Now that I reread this, I realize the end of this chapter is SasoDei-ish, lol. I liked it, though, so I decided not to change it. Plus, it can be considered practice if I ever write SasoDei in the future.

After Monday, I will be starting to update every other day, at least for this week, because of my research paper and the play. I apologize for that!

I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	18. Chapter Seventeen: Tears

Welcome to Chapter Seventeen! On Microsoft Word, this is page 129! I can't believe I typed so much of this fanfic, and this is only the second story arc! I'm glad so many people like this story!

This chapter will continue right where the previous one ended. It will focus a lot on Sasori (since I like writing about him), Deidara, and Aoi. There is one part about Orochimaru, but he won't be a part of any future chapters for awhile. It might seem boring, since this is pretty much explaining the beginning of Aoi's and Deidara's emotional recovery, but it has to be written in order for the story to progress. More information about Aoi's new eye will be given, as well as the jutsu cast on Deidara.

This chapter does have a pretty creepy dream sequence, but besides that, it really isn't very dark. There are some awkwardly cute parts with Sasori and Aoi. (I hope they're not too bad or cheesy; writing romance is hard for me, lolz).

The next time I will update this is Wednesday. If I get inspiration to post tomorrow, I will, but I will probably be focusing on my research report. I apologize in advance, but I really want a good grade on it.

I'd like to thank all who reviewed, or added this to their favorites or alerts list! You are all awesome! I can't believe that I have over seventy reviews!

*Warning: This chapter contains language and a frightening scene*

I don't own Naruto. I do own a Deidara keychain, though.

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-Chapter Seventeen: Tears-

Sasori watched as Deidara slept, looking at him worriedly when he saw that the Iwa-nin was beginning to shake again. He didn't know if it was because of Orochimaru, Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan, or a combination of the two. The puppet master _did_ know that the blonde was in pain, both physically and emotionally. That made him sick; his partner never did anything but look at Orochimaru. It was Sasori that the sannin was after, and Deidara was unlucky enough to get caught up in the middle of his grudge against the redhead. _No, that's not all, _Sasori thought. It seemed as though, somehow, the golden-eyed man became genuinely attracted to the bomber. That made the puppeteer even sicker. He couldn't believe that Orochimaru would stoop so low as to perform a jutsu on Deidara so he couldn't say what had happened to him. _Which means that it must have been bad, _thought Sasori, narrowing his eyes. He knew that whatever it was had deeply traumatized the blonde, and he found himself clenching his fists. _How dare that bastard do this to him! _The puppet master suspected that his partner was raped; all signs pointed to it. Until the jutsu was reversed, however, Sasori would never know. _Unless he talks about it in his sleep; that seems to be a loophole in the jutsu, _thought the redhead.

Seeing the blonde continue to shiver, Sasori rubbed his back, trying to comfort him. He stopped when Deidara flinched and cried out, "Orochimaru, stop!"

The puppet master removed his hand as if it was on fire. _Why can't I help you? _He realized that the sannin really knew how to destroy him, at least emotionally. _First Aoi, now Deidara? _He suspected that the sannin wanted Aoi just for the information she possessed, and he was grateful that Orochimaru wanted nothing more from her. _I don't know _what _I would do if… _He couldn't even bear to think about what he meant. He thought of the brunette's new eye and shuddered. When he asked her, he found that the golden-eyed man removed the original one without anesthetics, forcing her to stay awake throughout the whole procedure. During the first day she was back at the base, the puppet master also realized that the metal braces on her teeth were also gone. When he asked her about it, she said that Orochimaru ripped them off. He couldn't believe that after all that pain, she never gave away any information; she was stronger than he thought she was. He imagined she could have been great as a shinobi, if she had chakra.

Sasori sighed and started to walk back to his workbench when he heard Deidara whimper. Soon, that sound turned into screaming. "Sasori no danna, why is this happening to me, un? Make it stop!" he begged. His eyes were still closed and he was still unconscious, but tears were falling down his face.

Sasori felt like his heart was being stabbed over and over again in Itachi's Tsukuyomi. He suddenly pulled the blonde, who finally went limp, into a hug. He was surprised at his behavior; he was never the caring type. However, he couldn't take the bomber's tortured screams anymore; he had to do _something. You used to be so strong, _he thought sadly, smoothing his golden hair and wiping the tears from his face. _I can't believe that bastard reduced you to _this_! _

Instead of pulling away, Deidara leaned onto Sasori more. When the redhead looked at his face, he saw that it had finally settled into a peaceful expression. After a few moments, he gently removed the blonde from his grasp and placed him back on his bed. _Sleep well, _he thought. _You at least deserve that. _

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Deidara knew that what was happening was a dream—a nightmare—but it didn't keep him from being terrified and hurt. Orochimaru had broken both his arms and legs, and he was lying on the floor of the interrogation room on his side.

"You're mine, Dei-kun!" he hissed. "Even in your dreams you cannot escape me!" With that, he kneeled down and removed the bomber's shirt, followed by his pants. "Now let me have you!"

With his broken limbs, Deidara could do nothing but sob as the sannin lay on top of him.

"Shut up and be a man! Or do you want me to make it more painful?" smirked the snake-man. "It would be fun for me."

For some reason, he saw Sasori's face appear in his mind. "Sasori no danna, why is this happening to me, un? Make it stop!"

"Your 'danna' isn't here to save you. Now I can finally get what I wanted," murmured Orochimaru, kissing the Iwa-nin and beginning what he had been wanting to do ever since he first saw the bomber. He relished the blonde's every scream.

Afterwards, the sannin yanked on Deidara's hair. "That was fun, wasn't it? At least it was for me. We should do it again sometime. Like now."

Before he could make the thought a reality, a bright light appeared, and everything disappeared: Orochimaru, the room, the pain, everything. Deidara felt arms circling around him, but they were not the sannin's. Granted, they were cold, but not in the clammy way the black-haired man's were. Instead, they were smooth and felt eerily…artificial. All of his fear disappeared when he realized who the arms belonged to. "Sasori no danna," he murmured. He realized that what had just happened was only a dream, and knew that he was really back at the Akatsuki base, safe. He felt peace overcome him, and realized that his limbs were not broken and that his clothes were back on. He closed his eyes, leaning into Sasori's embrace.

00000

After Hidan had left, the kitchen became eerily silent. Aoi found herself staring at Zetsu, who apparently didn't appreciate it.

"Please don't stare at us like that," his light half stated. **"Yeah, what he said!" **replied the plant-man's darker half. **"If you continue to do so, we'll have to eat you." **

Aoi squeaked and turned away.

"We were only joking, Aoi-chan," he quickly said, not liking the dark look on her face. **"I wasn't. **Shut the hell up!"

Aoi listened, amused, as Zetsu continued to argue with himself. She was only staring because she had never really gotten to know the bi-colored man, and was fascinated by him.

"I-I'm sorry if I offended you, Z-Zetsu-san." _Great, I sound like pre-Shippuden Hinata! _"I just wanted to ask if you wanted help with gardening."

Both halves of Zetsu looked surprised, as well as everyone else in the room.

"Actually, we could use another set of hands," he answered. **"No we don't; we're just fine by ourselves! **Don't listen to him, Aoi-chan. It's just that…no one's asked us that before. I'll take you to my garden after the dishes are done; it's our turn today."

"I'll help you if you want," Aoi replied. Zetsu had always seemed lonely to her; she wanted to make sure he was all right.

Itachi, Kisame, and Kakuzu looked at her weirdly, while Konan looked at her knowingly, and slightly nodded. Pein just scowled.

"All right," Zetsu finally replied, his light side finally overpowering his dark one.

Once the two started washing dishes, Zetsu became more conversational.

"I'd like to apologize for…Tobi's behavior. As his partner, I am ashamed."

"It's okay," answered Aoi. "Oh, and Zetsu-san, I know who 'Tobi' really is."

Both sides of the plant-man looked surprised. "What the **hell? How?"**

"It's just part of the information I know," Aoi shrugged. "But I won't reveal it to the organization; I know only you, Pein-sama, Itachi-san, and Konan-san know."

The bi-colored man nodded, looking respectfully at the brunette. "You are one **strange girl. **Strange, but smart."

"Where is…Tobi, anyways?" she asked. She hadn't seen the masked man for awhile, and was relieved at the fact.

"Leader-sama sent him on an intelligence gathering mission."

Aoi nodded, even more relieved that Madara was nowhere near the base. Though, she would take the eldest Uchiha over Orochimaru any time.

Once the dishes were done, Zetsu led her out to his garden. She gasped in awe at all the beautiful, flowering plants and fruit trees. "This is wonderful, Zetsu-san!" she marveled.

The plant-man grunted. "You can help us prune the rose bushes. **But you better be extra careful!"**

"I know, I will," answered the brunette. "I have rose bushes where I'm from."

Zetsu gave her a small pair of pruning shears and gardening gloves. She put them on, and began trimming the bush. The bi-colored man looked at her, slightly smiling. "You're good at trimming them. **We weren't expecting that." **

The two continued to trim until it was finished. "Thank you for letting me help, Zetsu-san. I needed the fresh air to help me…start to recover," stated Aoi.

Zetsu nodded, knowing what she was referring to.

"Can you take me back to Sasori-san's room? I want to see how Deidara-san is doing," she continued.

The plant-man nodded once more, gesturing for her to follow him.

Once the two reached the artists' room, Zetsu left, running off to find Pein. Aoi knocked on the door, hoping that she wouldn't disturb Deidara.

"Come in," stated Sasori. "The door's unlocked."

She did what he said, and saw Sasori watching Deidara sleep. "Any changes? Is he getting better?"

"I don't know; he had one hell of a nightmare after you left, though," replied the redhead.

Aoi nodded, feeling sorry for the bomber. She used to have nightmares as well, but for some reason, didn't anymore. She knew how terrifying they could be. She started walking towards Sasori, only to trip over her blanket. She cursed her clumsiness and grabbed onto the first thing she could to prevent herself from falling. She blushed when she realized that the 'something' was the puppet master's arm. "Um, I'm terribly sorry, Sasori-san! Did I damage your arm?"

Sasori shook his head, a strange emotion on his face. _Amusement? _thought Aoi, confused. She thought that the redhead would've been angry, if only just a little bit.

"Aoi-san," he finally said, his face turning serious. "Does your eye feel okay? Can you see out of it?"

"It's fine. It hurts a bit, but I can see perfectly. I believe it will ache forever," she answered. _That's a lie. _

"He had no right to do that to you," he suddenly spat.

"I know," Aoi sighed. "I'm just going to have to make the best out of it though." She sat down in one of the chairs that were in the room. "I'm just glad he didn't do the procedure on both eyes."

00000

Sasori couldn't believe how optimistic she was being. She had her _eye _ripped out and replaced, yet she still hadn't lost her spirit completely. She had every right to become vengeful, wanting to kill Orochimaru, but so far she never brought it up. _Her heart is still pure, _he thought.

He was snapped out of her thoughts when he heard the girl softly crying. When he turned to look at her, she said, "I can pretend around the others, but not around you; I'm slowly losing my sight in the mechanical eye. It's starting to really hurt.

Sasori didn't know what to do. He obviously couldn't fix it, and for Kakuzu to do it, he must prepare a surgery for Aoi. He wasn't sure that Pein would let him do it, even if the miser agreed to it. He gently sat down on the chair next to Aoi, gently rubbing her bangs away from her face. "I'll try to get Kakuzu-san to help," he said, wanting to say _something _that would comfort her.

"You know, you were my favorite," she said. The look on her face afterwards meant that she didn't mean to say it aloud.

"What do you mean?" Now Sasori was intrigued.

"When I had…dreams about your organization, and learned all about you, you were my favorite member," she muttered, looking down and blushing.

The redhead's heart leapt. _She feels something for me too. _

"I also knew exactly how you felt," she continued. "Like you, I completely understand loneliness."

The puppet master remembered back when Itachi told him about the brunette's life before she was summoned to the base, and nodded.

Suddenly, without even thinking, he gently grabbed the brunette's shoulders and leaned in, pressing his lips on hers. Though he couldn't technically feel anything, he knew that her lips were very warm.

Surprised, she pulled away at first, but then suddenly kissed him back. She put her arms around him, pulling him closer. Sasori felt so, so…human. But he found that he liked it. As the kiss went on, he added his tongue to it. He wondered if that was a bit much, but the thought left his mind when Aoi kissed him back more fiercely. Yes, Sasori was enjoying this.

When they finally pulled away, the brunette rested her head against the puppeteer's shoulder. "Should we have done that?" she asked. "Won't Pein-sama be angry that you and I are…together? We are, aren't we?"

Sasori smiled mischievously. "Not if the bastard doesn't find out. And yes, we're together." He smiled, really truly smiled, when he said those words. The words he had wanted to say for such a long time.

She relaxed, closing her eyes and once again leaning on the redhead. Sasori smiled again and wrapped his arm around her. He wanted this to last forever; it was so pure, so uncomplicated. He knew that would not be the case; Deidara was proof of that. But he could dream. His eyes started to close because of the lack of sleep he got the night before. _Yes, _he thought sleepily, _I could dream…_

00000

Orochimaru was _furious. _Not only had he lost Deidara, the object of his obsession, but half his base was burnt down as well. Plus, he had learned nothing from Aoi. He knew that he couldn't contact Madara anymore; the eldest Uchiha explicitly stated that he was done with him. He banged his fists on a lab table in anger. _Damn you, Akasuna no Sasori! Damn you to hell! _

However, he smirked at the thought of the jutsu he cast on Deidara. Not only did he make it impossible for the blonde to talk about his time with him, it also transferred any dream that the sannin thought of into the bomber's mind when he slept. He licked his lips at the thought of the last one he sent to him. _I hope it terrified him, because that's what it's going to be like when I take him for real! It will be fun to break his spirit in reality! You won't get rid of me that easily, Dei-kun, that's for sure…_

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And that's the end of Chapter Seventeen. It wasn't really the most action-y chapter, but I am happy with how it turned out.

…Deidara's dream was really hard for me to write. Seriously, it freaked _me _out when I wrote it!

I added the part with Zetsu because he is so underappreciated, lol.

I hope the romance between Sasori and Aoi wasn't too cheesy. I was dreading writing their kiss scene, but I knew I had to write it sometime. (Though the image of Sasori smiling kind of scared me, lolz).

I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	19. Chapter Eighteen: Fear

Welcome to Chapter Eighteen! I'm glad everyone is enjoying the story so far! This chapter will continue where the previous chapter left off. It won't be very action-y, it's more psychological. It will show Deidara getting used to people again, with Aoi's and Sasori's help.

While I'm on the subject of our favorite bomber, I'd just like to apologize if anyone thinks he's acting too weak. After what he went through, I thought it would be more realistic to have him slowly recover than be like "I'm fine; let's make things explode now!" I didn't want for him to sound like a damsel in distress, but I also didn't want him to be like Superman. I hope I balanced his character out, though.

I finally finished that research paper! Now I'll be able to update faster, since my winter break starts next Thursday

…This is random, but I was so excited that people liked the play I was in! My drama teacher and half my classmates didn't even recognize me in my costume! It was awesome!

Anywho, thanks go to everyone who reviewed, or added this story to their favorites or alerts! You're all awesome!

*Warning: This chapter contains language and frightening scenes*

Nope, I still don't own Naruto.

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-Chapter Eighteen: Fear-

Deidara found that he was back in the interrogation room. He shuddered and prepared himself for the next nightmare. He closed his eyes when someone walked in. The footsteps were lighter than Orochimaru's, though, so he opened his eyes. He sighed in relief when he saw that it was just Aoi. _Maybe this will be a nice dream, _he thought. When he looked at her again, he realized that she was wearing only a towel. _What? _Suddenly, the door banged open, and Orochimaru strode into the room. _No! _When he tried to move toward Aoi to protect her, he realized that his ankles were chained to the wall. _Damn it! _He could only watch as the sannin slowly removed the towel. She tried to resist, but the snake-man pushed her to the ground. Once she was lying on her back, arms outstretched, Orochimaru drew a kunai from his pocket and stabbed through her hand into the floor. Deidara flinched when he heard his friend's agonized scream. The golden-eyed man repeated the action to her other hand, making it so she couldn't escape without further damaging her hands. "You bastard!" Deidara screamed.

Orochimaru just smirked at him as he began to remove his clothes.

"No!" shouted the blonde. "Don't do this to her! Please, un!"

The black haired man just shook his head and laid on top of the brunette, making her scream in fear. "You're a virgin, right?" he whispered, though loud enough for the bomber to hear every word. "That makes this even better!"

Deidara tried to look away as the sannin performed the hideous act, but found that his eyes could not close. He was forced to watch, sickened and horrified, as he heard Aoi's tortured screams and saw the true fear in her eyes. _Make it stop! I want to wake up!_

When it was over, Orochimaru stood up, kicking the girl in the process. She whimpered, and he laughed.

"You sick, twisted bastard, un!" spat the Iwa-nin.

"Oh, are you jealous, Dei-kun?" smirked the snake-man. "Your turn will come soon enough, don't you worry!" He stroked the blonde's face and continued. "Consider this a warning; if I cannot have you, I will have to act out all my desires on _someone else_. Such as Aoi-chan." He pondered for a moment, tapping his chin. "Or maybe even your 'danna'!"

At the mention of his partner's nickname, Deidara's eyes narrowed, his fists clenching in rage. No matter how traumatizing it would be for him, he would rather go through the torture himself than watch the sannin go after Aoi or Sasori.

"So, when I do return, Dei-kun," he added, "I suggest that you don't resist me, or someone else will suffer…" As the black-haired man's words faded, everything disappeared, and Deidara found himself staring at the ceiling in his bedroom. He sighed in relief; he had finally woken up.

He looked around the room, making sure that he had really woken up, and this wasn't another dream. He did a double take when his eyes scanned the large chair that Sasori would usually sit on when he was reading. On it was a sleeping Sasori, his arms protectively wrapped around an also-sleeping Aoi.

The blonde smiled bittersweetly. He found that he loved Aoi, but he knew that she and Sasori were a perfect match, even though there was a gap between their ages. And if his partner and the brunette were genuinely happy together, Deidara would not stand in their way. _Danna can also protect her better than I could, _he thought. _Damn it! Why am I so weak?_ He remembered back to when he first returned to the base. Sasori had assured him that he was not weak, and that Orochimaru was a sick sadist that messed with people's minds, exploiting their fears and pain. He didn't know if the redhead was trying to make him feel better, or if he was being truthful. It just hurt him—and his pride—deeply to know that he was powerless against the sannin. He watched the two sleep, softly smiling when he saw Aoi lean closer to Sasori.

After a couple of moments, he decided to go to the kitchen to get some lunch, since he had missed breakfast, and he found that he was starving.

00000

Sasori opened his eyes, mentally smiling. It had been awhile since he had slept as peacefully as he just did. He sleepily looked down at Aoi, who had leaned closer to him. Her right eye was closed, making her look peaceful. The redhead tried to not stare at the left one, which remained open, staring directly at him. _I'm going to ask Kakuzu-san to prepare a surgery for her, _he decided. _She shouldn't live like this. _He stroked her hair, pulling her closer until he could feel the beat of her heart pulsing against his chest. The rhythmic sound lulled him to sleep once more.

When he awoke the second time, he saw that Deidara was sitting on his bed, just staring at them. "It's rude to stare, brat!" snapped the redhead. He then remembered how fragile his partner was now, and felt ashamed. "I'm sorry."

Deidara nodded, smiling knowingly. Sasori noticed that some of the old sparkle was back in his eye, which relieved the puppeteer. The Iwa-nin was healing, though it would be a long time before he would return to his original self, if he ever did.

He felt Aoi shift positions and realized that she was waking up. "What time is it?" she yawned.

"It's around one o'clock in the afternoon," answered Deidara. "I just got back from lunch, and there's still food on the table if you want some, Aoi-san, un."

"That would be great! I'm starving," she answered.

_No one would ever guess how much trouble that eye is causing her, _thought Sasori. _She's a pretty good actress. _Aloud he said, "I'll be coming with you."

Aoi nodded. "All right, Sasori-san."

Deidara nodded. "I'm coming as well, un."

Once Aoi got changed, the three headed down to the kitchen. Once they got there, they saw that there were food scraps, but barely any food. All that was left were four onigiri.

"I'm sorry; there was more food when I was here, un," sighed Deidara.

"It's all right, Deidara-san; onigiri is fine with me. You could eat two, and I could eat two."

The blonde nodded and took two of the rice balls. Aoi grabbed the remaining two and shoveled them into her mouth.

"If you are still hungry, I could try to make something, un," said Deidara, looking at how fast she ate the onigiri.

Sasori felt stupid for not realizing sooner that she skipped a meal, and therefore must be very hungry. Since he himself did not need to eat, he sometimes forgot that people needed food in order to be healthy. _Baka! _

Aoi nodded, and Deidara quickly heated up some soup he found in the refrigerator. "Here you go, un."

"Thanks, Deidara-san," the brunette answered, quietly sipping the soup. Once she was finished, she washed the bowl out in the sink. "Now I'm full!" She burped, then giggled. Deidara snickered, while Sasori quickly smiled.

"Hey, once I get my sketchbook, can we go outside? I really want to draw the pond next to Zetsu-san's garden," Aoi suggested.

Sasori nodded. "We'll go with you, though. We don't want anything happening to you."

Deidara grunted in agreement.

The three walked back to the room and proceeded to pick up the brunette's pencils and sketchbook.

Unbeknownst to them, someone was watching their every move…

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Pein's eyes narrowed as he saw how close Aoi was to Sasori. He knew that having the girl at the base was affecting all the members in good and bad ways. _Mostly bad, _he thought. He needed to know whether or not the rest of the Akatsuki were truly attached to the girl, and if they would care if she died. He needed to find some way to test the organization. _But how? _He narrowed his eyes as he thought of an idea. _They will hate me for this, but it must be done. I need to know what to do with the girl. _With that, he ran to all the members' rooms, (minus Sasori and Deidara), and told them to meet him outside by Zetsu's pond for a special announcement.

When he arrived at the pond, he saw that the brunette was sitting next to Deidara and Sasori, her hand discreetly on top of the puppet master's. The orange-haired man's eyes narrowed in distaste. _As soon as the others arrive, I can begin. _

After a few moments, everyone else arrived, minus Madara, who was on a mission. Pein made sure to stand close to the two artists, so that the rest of the organization would have a clear view of what he was about to do. _I'm sorry girl, _he thought. Speaking aloud, he addressed the group, including Sasori and Deidara, who were giving him strange looks. "I have called you all here today to settle a little _problem_. It seems as though the girl is disrupting this organization. You will witness the price of her involvement!"

With that, he ran at the girl, roughly pushing her to the ground. He placed his foot on her chest, and she whimpered with fear.

"Pein-sama! What the hell are you doing?" asked Sasori, furious.

"Stay back, Sasori, or I will kill you too." Looking around at the rest of the Akatsuki, he added, "That goes for all of you! Stay out of this! We have what we needed from her!" He started to add pressure to the foot on her chest, making her squirm. He looked coldly at her, pressing harder. He heard a crack and knew that he had broken one of her ribs. She screamed.

"Stop, un!" shouted Deidara, reaching down to grab her hand.

"Shut up and stay out of this, Deidara! It's because of her that you're pretty much worthless now!"

The blonde looked like he'd been slapped. His blue eyes widened, and he dropped his gaze to the ground, rubbing his arms.

Using the bomber's distraction to his advantage, Pein roughly picked up the girl and threw her into the pond. She surfaced and tried to swim to the shore, the fear and pain clearly visible on her face.

Before she could walk out, though, Pein placed his foot on her head, pushing it down into the water. As she flailed around, trying to get free, the pierced man added more pressure. He saw Kisame step forward, followed by Itachi. "Damn it, Pein! You'll kill her!" the shark-nin shouted. He didn't dare disobey the order though. Pein looked down, and noticed that Aoi's arms were moving less rapidly. He knew she didn't have much time left. He looked around, then suddenly sensed movement as someone ran at him.

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All Deidara saw was a flash of red and soon, Pein was in the water. _Sasori no danna, _he thought. He saw his partner drag Aoi out of the water and lay her on her back.

"Who here knows CPR?" he asked, his voice uncharacteristically hysterical. Pein just watched, a smirk on his face.

"I do," stated Hidan. His mauve eyes were unusually wide as he stared at Aoi.

"Then get the hell over here!" Sasori snapped. "I don't want her dying. Not now."

The Jashinist, not wanting to experience the puppeteer's wrath, did as he was told. He leaned down and performed CPR on the unconscious Aoi.

_Please be okay! _Deidara thought.

"She's not fuckin' breathing!" shouted Hidan.

"Try it again!" barked the redhead.

The immortal nodded and repeated what he did before, pressing harder on her chest. He did this so forcefully that the Iwa-nin heard another rib break. When she had no reaction to it, Deidara started to get worried.

"She's getting cold!" shouted Hidan. "I don't know how many more times I can fucking do this!"

Suddenly, the brunette coughed up water. Sasori sat her up so she wouldn't choke on it. More water fell from her mouth, and the puppet master beckoned for Kakuzu to come over. "See if she's stabilized," he stated.

The Taki-nin nodded, placing his glowing hands on her chest. With one final retch, the brunette coughed up all the water, along with all the food she ate.

"She seems to be stabilizing now that all the water is out of her system," stated the stitched man. "She should be fine. However, you should keep an eye on her, since her heart is so weak."

Sasori held the girl close, glaring daggers at Pein. "What the hell were you trying to pull?"

The orange-haired man stared coldly back at the redhead. "It looks like all of you made your decision; Aoi will remain here as an honorary member of the Akatsuki. She will be our information specialist."

"So that was all a test?" asked Kisame, outraged. "That was just cruel!"

"Hn," agreed Itachi.

Sasori just looked at the pierced man, his mouth literally open in shock.

Deidara had just about had enough. Before he realized what he was doing, he strode over to Pein. "You sick bastard!" he hissed. Then he punched him squarely in the jaw.

Retaliating, Pein grabbed Deidara's neck, squeezing it until the bomber was forced to kneel on the ground. "Show. Some. Respect." With each word, he gripped it harder. The Iwa-nin clawed at his leader's hands, trying to pry them off of him. The Akatsuki leader finally realized what he was doing and dropped Deidara, who coughed and grabbed his neck. "I will _never _respect you!" he rasped, stumbling back to Sasori, who glared with open malice and placed one of his hands on his partner's shoulders.

Deidara wanted nothing more than to just curl up and sleep. He was starting to get a massive headache; his head was throbbing to his pulse. He didn't know why or for what reason Pein had wanted to test them, but he _did _know one thing: he would never look at his leader the same way again; he had no respect for the man now. He looked at the semiconscious Aoi, shivering in Sasori's arms. _Yes. I will never respect that bastard after this! _

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And that is the end of Chapter Eighteen. I know the story might seem boring now, but the plot of the second arc starts to get more exciting in the next chapter.

…Ick, Deidara's dream was once again hard to write. The first one was creepier though.

I had planned the scene with Pein, Aoi, and the rest of the Akatsuki for a long time. I hope it turned out okay.

…I believe that Sasori is waterproof, so that's why I made him rescue Aoi.

Lolz, Hidan knows CPR! The reason why Sasori didn't give Aoi CPR is because he doesn't breathe, lol.

Poor Deidara has no luck, lol.

Pein is such a jerk! But I don't hate him; he's actually one of my favorite characters.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	20. Chapter Nineteen: Guardian Angel

Welcome to Chapter Nineteen! This chapter will end the second arc of the story. By the end of the chapter, people will either love me or hate me, or both, lolz

I'm glad that everyone is enjoying the story! I'm also glad that everyone thought it was funny that Hidan knew CPR. I wanted to discreetly add some humor in the chapter, but I didn't want to have it take away from the seriousness.

This chapter will be a dark one, so I'm warning you now, lolz. This chapter continues where the last one left off.

A big thank-you goes out to everyone who reviewed and/or added this to their favorites/alerts lists.

*Warning, this chapter contains language, violence, and frightening scenes*

I don't own Naruto. (If I did, the Akatsuki would be the main characters).

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-Chapter Nineteen: Guardian Angel-

Sasori was getting worried. While Kakuzu said that Aoi was stabilized, the puppet master could feel that her heart was beating fainter than it normally did. She was also colder than usual. He gently gave Deidara the semiconscious girl. The bomber looked confused, so Sasori explained, "She's too cold. She needs to warm up, but I can't help her with that."

Deidara nodded in realization, wrapping his arms around the brunette and pulling her closer to him. The redhead felt a twinge of jealousy, but dismissed it. The Iwa-nin knew that Aoi was with Sasori, and he would never betray his partner.

To keep his mind off of Aoi's condition, he turned to Pein, raw anger in his eyes and voice. "You decided to test the organization by almost _drowning _her? I thought that a leader was supposed to protect his organization!"

"Sasori, if you must talk to me, let's have this conversation in private, shall we?" Pein retorted.

The redhead grunted and followed the Akatsuki leader until they were both out of the group's hearing range. "So, talk, Pein."

The orange-haired man's eyes narrowed at the lack of honorific, but didn't bring it up. "I needed to somehow test if the Akatsuki really wanted Aoi to stay in the organization. If they truly liked her, they would save her, but if they didn't, I would kill her, and let Zetsu-san dispose of the corpse."

"That's sick!" spat the puppeteer. "I understand why you needed to test the organization, but couldn't you have just taken a vote or something? That would have been fairer to Aoi-san."

"Ah, but this way showed everyone's true intentions," stated Pein. His eyes softened as he looked once more at Sasori. "I am truly sorry, though, for everything. The Akatsuki hasn't been performing efficiently, and I don't believe that Deidara is ready to capture the One-Tail, at least not yet. I don't want us to fail."

"Neither do I, Pein, but I don't take out my anger on everyone else." The redhead thought of how he fought Deidara and he gulped. "But I do agree that it wouldn't be wise to send Deidara to Suna just yet. He is healing, but he is still fragile. Can we delay the capture of the One-Tail any longer?"

The pierced man nodded. "But I can only wait so long. We can delay the capture for another month, but nothing more."

"Thank you, Pein-sama," said Sasori, bowing his head. He wouldn't forgive his leader for what he did to Aoi for a long time, but he was grateful that he wasn't sending Deidara on any missions; the blonde was not ready for them yet. The puppet master left Pein, running back to Aoi.

When he got back to the bank of the pond, he was relieved to see that Aoi had stopped shivering. "How is she?" he asked Deidara, who still held the brunette.

"She's getting warmer, which is a good sign, un," the bomber answered. "I believe all she needs is a warm bed and a good rest."

"Then let's go," replied the redhead.

Deidara nodded and got up, carrying Aoi bridal style. The two walked back to the base in silence, with Sasori looking at the girl the entire time.

A day had passed since the incident at the pond, and Deidara, Sasori, and Aoi had just returned from a late dinner. Tobi had returned, but he made no attempt to hug Aoi or bother Deidara. The blonde found that to be a bit strange, but he was happy that he wasn't getting annoyed for once.

Since the three weren't tired yet, they all decided to work on something productive. Deidara was making sculptures out of clay, Sasori was fixing yet another puppet, and Aoi was reading what she said was an economics textbook.

"Isn't that boring, un?" asked the bomber.

"A little, but it's nice to be able to read something in my native language," answered Aoi, smiling.

"Our language is so much more artistic," said Sasori, looking up from his puppet.

"I agree," answered the brunette. "I love how you write characters for words; it's so beautiful."

The redhead nodded. "You have nice handwriting, though. You make English a joy to read."

Aoi blushed. "I didn't know you could read my language!"

Sasori smirked. "I made Pein perform the language jutsu on me after he figured out what it was called."

"So that's why you were able to read her blood donation card when she needed a blood transfusion, un!" realized Deidara.

Sasori just nodded and continued to work on his puppet.

After about an hour, the three realized that they were tired. Once Deidara put away his clay, and Aoi was on her cot, Sasori turned off the lights, climbing onto his own bed.

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Deidara dreamed that he was roaming around the Akatsuki base. He heard Orochimaru's voice, beckoning him, and he tried to resist it. However, he found himself walking towards the voice, only stopping when he was inside one of the base's interrogation rooms. The door slammed and locked behind him, the sound jolting him out of his dream.

When he woke up, he found that he was not in his room; he was in the interrogation chamber. When he turned around to leave it, thinking that he had been sleepwalking, he realized that it was locked. He fumbled to unlock it until he heard a laugh. It was a familiar laugh, and it was one that terrified the bomber. "No!" he whispered, turning around.

"That's right, Dei-kun," hissed Orochimaru. "I told you I was coming for you, didn't I?"

"How the hell did you get in here, un?" he asked, backing away from the snake-man.

"Oh, Dei-kun, you silly boy, I was once a member of your little organization, remember?" He stepped closer until he was close enough to stroke the Iwa-nin's face.

Deidara pushed him away, spitting at him. Orochimaru retaliated by grabbing his neck and pushing him against the wall. "If you really want me to, I'll let you go, but your friend Aoi-chan won't be so lucky." He paused, dropping Deidara, an evil smirk appearing on his face. "Or better yet, I'll go after your precious 'danna'. I always thought he was rather pretty…"

"No," the blonde whispered. "Please leave them alone."

"Then you'll let me have you?"

"Isn't there another way? I thought you wanted my kekkei-genkai, un!" the Iwa-nin whimpered.

The sannin stroked his hair. "For once, I do not. You're so _beautiful, _Deidara, I want your body. The kekkei-genkai is a bonus."

"Leave me alone, un!" he shouted, clawing at Orochimaru's face, smiling with satisfaction as he broke the snake-man's skin.

Instead of being angry, the golden-eyed man smiled, eyes gleaming. "Keep it up, Dei-kun; you being resistant really _turns me on_."

Deidara gulped; he was really in trouble. "I'm going to scream, un!" he threatened.

"Go ahead, this room is soundproof, remember? Plus," he licked his lips, "I love it when you scream."

The blonde closed his eyes, trying to stop the tears from falling. He snapped them open when he felt Orochimaru remove his shirt. "Get away from me, un! I don't belong to you!" When he tried to push the snake away, he felt his arm being grabbed.

"Ah, but you _do _belong to me, Dei-kun," he purred. Then, he broke the Iwa-nin's arm.

Deidara refused to scream, instead biting on his lip until it bled to distract himself from the pain. While he was distracted, Orochimaru kicked him to the ground and stomped on his left leg. He barely realized it when the snake-man removed his pants and boxers. The bomber watched in fear as the golden-eyed man removed his own clothes.

"This is going to be fun!" the sannin smirked, kneeling down and laying on top of the blonde.

Deidara couldn't help it; he started to cry. _This is disgusting! Why is this happening to me? _As it went on, he found himself screaming, for his lost innocence, for someone to kill him, for Sasori to save him. He hoped that this was all a nightmare, but he knew in his heart that it was his reality.

He barely registered it when the door slammed open, and a figure walked into the room. "What have you done?" it asked. Deidara noticed that the voice was definitely male, and it sounded like Itachi's, only deeper and more mature.

The sannin got off of Deidara, hastily putting on his clothes. "Come on, you said you didn't care what happened to him."

"Yes, I said that because I thought you were going to experiment on his kekkei-genkai," the figure snapped, obviously angry. "I didn't think you were going to _rape _him. I will not tolerate that! You have betrayed this organization long enough. I have the information I need. Goodbye, Orochimaru."

Before the sannin could even blink, one of the figure's hands pinned him against the wall, while the other stabbed a kunai into his throat. Orochimaru gurgled, blood spilling out of the wound as the figure repeated the action over and over again until the snake-man's eyes stared glassily into the distance, never to blink again.

The figure dropped the dead sannin onto the floor and approached Deidara. "It's over," he murmured. "He'll never hurt you again." He removed the plain black cloak he was wearing and gave it to Deidara, who gratefully put it on.

"Who are you?" asked the blonde, staring into his savior's eyes, the irises a familiar red.

"I am someone who is always watching over you," the figure gently stated, rubbing Deidara's back.

"Like a guardian angel?" the bomber asked, blue eyes widening.

The figure paused, and the Iwa-nin could almost sense him smirking. "Sure kid," he finally answered. "Like a guardian angel."

Deidara smiled before he fell unconscious.

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When Deidara had called him an angel, Madara couldn't help but smirk. _You couldn't be more far from the truth, Blondie. _But in all seriousness, the eldest Uchiha was saddened by what had happened. Sure, he liked to annoy the bomber with his Tobi persona, but he would never do _this _to him. Yes, he was attracted to him, but he would only act out the attraction if the Iwa-nin wanted him to. He might be a cold, heartless criminal, but he wasn't completely evil. Even with Aoi, he would never take it past kissing.

Without thinking, he kneeled down next to the unconscious blonde and stroked his hair. He looked over at Orochimaru, feeling glad that he killed him. _That bastard's more trouble than he's worth! _

Grabbing the bloody kunai, he placed it in Deidara's hands. He had risked enough by coming into the room without his mask on. He would make it look like Deidara killed the sannin in self defense. The eldest Uchiha would tell Pein, Konan, and unfortunately, Itachi, but he would make them tell Deidara that what he saw was from shock, that the bomber himself killed Orochimaru. _I'm sorry I didn't come sooner, sempai. _He let himself think of his Tobi persona's nickname for the Iwa-nin. He stroked his hair once more, then got up and left the room, walking quietly to Pein's room.

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Both Konan and Pein bolted upright in their beds when they heard someone walk in. Pein turned on the lights, glaring angrily when he saw that his "visitor" was Madara. "What the hell do _you _want? You do know it's three in the morning, don't you?"

"This is important, _Pein-sama_. Orochimaru broke into the base and raped Deidara."

"What?" Konan looked absolutely horrified. "Where is he? Is he all right? What happened to that damn snake?"

After Madara explained all that had happened, Konan's look changed from horrified to furious. "It's good for him that you killed him, Madara-san. If I got my hands on him, he'd wish he was dead!"

"How did he get in the base, _Madara_?" Pein questioned.

"I didn't tell him," the eldest Uchiha answered. "That is the truth. I only told him how to get onto the base's grounds to kidnap the girl. I never told him about the inside of the base!"

"I know I shouldn't believe you," replied Pein, "but I do. I'm just glad that you killed him before something worse happened."

"Something worse? Pein, how could you say that?" asked the origami artist. "Deidara-san is now traumatized for life. He will never be the same person he was before." She glared at the pierced man and continued. "And if you even say something like, 'he'll get over it', I swear I will destroy you! You're very insensitive, you know that?"

Pein narrowed his eyes and grabbed the blue-haired woman's throat. "Watch your mouth! I am your leader!" He let her go, and continued. "And there are worse things that could have happened. He could have been trying to steal information on the Akatsuki. It's a good thing he only wanted Deidara. Sometimes, you have to suffer for the sake of the organization."

Konan was furious. _How could I have ever loved him? _"How dare you treat Deidara-san like he's some sort of _object_? He's a human being, and he's in pain! I'm going to that room to comfort him!" With that, she slid off of her bed and tried run out the door.

"Konan!" Pein barked. "Stop! I _order _you to stay here, so we can discuss this further!"

"You know what, _Leader-sama? _Screw your orders!" The blue-haired woman spun around and ran out the door. _Hang in there, Deidara, I'm coming!_

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And that's the end of Chapter Nineteen!

…Yeah! Orochimaru is finally dead! I've been wanting to kill him off since the first chapter he was introduced, lol.

Poor Deidara! I'm only torturing him because he is one of my favorite characters. I hated writing the scene with him and Orochimaru, I really did. I hope it sounded okay.

…See, Madara's not totally evil, lol. It's totally ironic how Deidara thinks he's his guardian angel.

I actually like Konan, so I wanted to give her more screen time. I also wanted to make her seem really protective. And before anyone says, "She'd never go against one of Pein's orders", I believe that just this once, her protective instincts overrule her devotion to Pein.

And speaking of the long-lost Weasley (my nickname for Pein, lol), just as he seems to be less of a jerk, there he goes again. I like Pein, I really do; I just think he'd put his organization before anything else.

The next chapter will totally be about Aoi and Sasori, with little parts about Deidara, and how the Akatsuki react to the news. Plus, the third story arc will begin.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter; I know it was really dark.


	21. Chapter Twenty: Anger

Welcome to Chapter Twenty! I'm so glad that people are enjoying the story; I never thought I'd ever have a story that was twenty chapters long and still not finished with!

After the last chapter, this one will seem very filler-ish; the plot doesn't really progress. It's basically about how the rest of the Akatsuki react to what happened to Deidara and Orochimaru's death. It will focus on Aoi, Sasori, Itachi, and Konan.

I kind of want to pair Deidara up with someone, but I don't know if that would ruin the story or not. If anyone has any ideas, put them in a review, lolz.

Speaking of reviews, I have over ninety! I'm so happy! So thanks to everyone who reviewed; you are awesome!

…Well, I have only two more days left of final exams before I start winter break! That means I'll be posting more! I won't be posting on Christmas Eve or Christmas day because I'm going to be visiting relatives.

This chapter continues where the previous ended.

*Warning: This chapter contains language*

Nope, I still don't own Naruto! *Sigh*

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-Chapter Twenty: Anger-

When Konan reached the interrogation chamber, she could smell the odor of death before she saw Orochimaru's body. She paid no attention to it, though; all she cared about was the unconscious blonde sprawled out on the floor. She kneeled down to Deidara's level and gently picked him up so that he was lying on his back on her lap.

The bomber moaned, and that's when the origami artist noticed his broken arm and leg. _He hurt you so much, _she thought sadly, stroking his hair. After awhile, his eyes finally snapped open. "Get away from me!" he whimpered, trying to escape Konan's grasp. He stopped when he realized who was holding him. "O-oh, it's you, Konan-san, un."

"I'm going to take you back to your room, Deidara-san. It's okay now; Orochimaru is dead."

At the mention of the sannin's name, Konan felt the blonde stiffen. "Please don't say his name, un. Please!"

"It's okay, Deidara," the blue-haired woman soothed. Honorifics were the least of her worries.

"No it's not, un," he whispered. "I can still hear him. I can still _feel _him! Please Konan, I'm begging you, kill me now, un! I can't live like this any longer!"

As he said that, the Ame-nin grabbed him tighter, hugging him fiercely. "No! I will never kill you, Deidara. All of us will help you get through this!"

"I'm such a failure!" he sobbed. "I've held the Akatsuki back long enough, un! Pein was right; I'm worthless! I couldn't even protect myself from…him…even with my supposed 'talents'!" He leaned into the blue-haired woman's shirt and continued to cry

With every word, Konan's heart was breaking. _No. Pein was wrong; I believe you're stronger than any of us! _She rubbed the Iwa-nin's back until his sobs died down.

"Konan?" he said quietly, eyes swollen from crying. "Thank you, un. I'm glad _you _found me first."

The Ame-nin sadly smiled and gently picked him up, carrying him bridal-style, with the bomber's unbroken arm around her neck. Though Konan was a woman, she was also quite strong, and carried Deidara with ease.

She hadn't noticed that the sleeve of her pajama shirt was rolled up until Deidara pointed it out to her. "What's that on your arm, un?"

She looked down, dismayed that the many bruises that covered her arm were exposed. "N-nothing, Deidara, just a shadow." She shifted his position and fixed the sleeve.

The blonde nodded, his eyes betraying his feelings. He didn't believe her. But he didn't bring it up, instead starting another conversation. "Konan, will it be possible for me to ever fall in love, un?"

The origami artist remembered when Sasori had asked her about love. It seemed so long ago, to her. "Yes, in time, I do believe that it is possible."

"It seems impossible, though. Every time I think that someone's going to walk by me, I just get so _scared. _Besides that,I'm so messed up; who would ever love _me, _un?"

Konan was saddened by this. _He was broken way before Orochimaru, and we didn't even notice. _"Just try to calm down, and go to sleep. I'm sure that everyone will want to ask you questions in the morning."

"I'm not sure if I can sleep, un," replied Deidara. "I can't stop thinking of _him, _and everything hurts."

"Do you want me to get Itachi so that he can make you sleep?"

"No! I will not have him or his damned _eyes _anywhere near me, un!"

_At least that part of his personality didn't change, _thought Konan, relieved that he still had a bit of his original stubborn streak.

Despite what the bomber had said before, eventually, he fell asleep in Konan's arms. When she reached his room, she quietly opened the door and laid Deidara on his bed. She was about to leave when she sensed something move behind her. She slowly turned around, locking eyes with a confused and worried Sasori.

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"Where the hell was Deidara?" Sasori hissed. He had woken up to find his partner gone, and a minute later, Konan had snuck into the room, carrying the blonde.

"Sasori-san, there's something you should know," stated the blue-haired woman.

As she explained what had happened, Sasori's eyes widened in anger, fear, and then sadness. "So you're saying that Deidara killed Orochimaru after the bastard raped him?" he asked after she was finished.

"Yes." Konan nodded. "He grabbed a kunai that was left in the room and stabbed him while his guard was down."

The puppet master tilted his head. "Does he seem…okay?"

"I'm not going to lie to you, Sasori-san; he's very broken. He will not get over this for a long time. He needs your help. Take care of him."

The redhead nodded, feeling sick. _Why couldn't I protect him? He's my partner!_

Konan looked once more at Sasori and Deidara and left the room, quietly shutting the door behind her.

Once he was sure the Ame-nin had left, he walked over to Deidara's bed and grabbed one of the blonde's hands. The burning sensation in his eyes returned, and he felt—and heard—himself gasp. The choking breaths continued, and the puppet master realized that this was his version of crying. He didn't like it, but he couldn't stop. For once, he _wished _he was human so that he could shed tears for the loss of his partner's innocence. When he looked in the mirror, he saw that his face was twisted up in agony, almost as if he'd been stabbed. In a way, he was. What Orochimaru did would affect the redhead as well as Deidara.

"Sasori-san? Are you all right?" asked a semi-awake Aoi, rubbing her eyes.

The puppeteer pondered whether or not to tell the brunette what happened. _She deserves to know; Deidara is her friend too. _He made his decision.

Once he was done explaining, Aoi looked absolutely heartbroken, her eyes shining with tears. "This is all my fault! If I wasn't summoned here, Orochimaru wouldn't have taken interest in me, and he wouldn't have been able to find Deidara!" She dropped to the floor, curling her legs up to her chest, silently sobbing.

Sasori leaned to her level, cupping her face in his hands. "Look at me," he stated. "This is by no means your fault! Orochimaru would've found him someday; he had always been attracted to Deidara. Besides, if you weren't summoned here, I never would have met you." He softly kissed the brunette on the lips. "Please don't blame yourself; Deidara wouldn't want that."

Aoi nodded, her tears starting to ebb away. Sasori noticed that she had a timid look on her face. "Would you mind sleeping next to me for the rest of the night? I just feel so cold and empty."

The redhead slowly nodded. "Okay."

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_Why the hell did you ask him that? That was so awkward! _Aoi mentally slapped herself. She just felt like she needed someone to hug, to hold onto. No matter what Sasori said, she would always blame herself for what happened to Deidara.

She was surprised when he said yes. From what she read and watched of the anime and manga, Sasori was not a caring, feeling person. _Is this a side that was never shown, or is it something else? _Too tired to wonder further, she made room for the redhead on her cot. He slowly laid down, and Aoi hesitantly wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his shirt. She felt him tense, then relax and pull her closer.

"Don't worry about Deidara, he won't blame you," he murmured. "Go to sleep now, you need your rest, Aoi."

The puppet master's voice was enough to make the brunette's eyes start to close. Before she knew it, she had fallen into a dreamless sleep.

The next morning, she woke to see Sasori's face barely an inch away from hers. _What the hell? _Then, she remembered that she had asked the redhead to sleep next to her, to comfort her after she found out what Orochimaru had done to Deidara. She relaxed, and fell back to sleep.

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Itachi knew something was up. When he and Kisame went to breakfast, Aoi, Sasori, and Deidara weren't there. However, _Pein _was. The pierced man never ate breakfast with the rest of the Akatsuki, so the Uchiha approached him. "What's going on, Pein-sama?" he asked, respectfully. He didn't want to sound accusing.

"So, you noticed that I was here? Come, let's talk in private," answered the orange-haired man, beckoning Itachi to follow him into the empty common room.

"What's going on? I know something's up, considering the glances you're giving to Konan-san and Ma—uh, Tobi."

As Pein explained what had happened the night before, Itachi dropped the cup of tea he was holding in shock. "What?" Itachi might not have considered the blonde as a close friend, but for _that _to have happened to him? He shuddered just imagining it. No one deserved that.

"I am going to announce what happened to the rest of the Akatsuki today," the pierced man continued. His voice got deeper as he started to rant, "We have waited long enough for Deidara to recover, and now _this _happens? That little shit is costing us our goals! I don't care if he got raped by Orochimaru; he's going to Suna with Sasori in two weeks!"

"Don't you think you are being a little unfair, Pein-sama? Think about his mind; he hasn't the emotional strength to go after a jinchuriki yet," Itachi reasoned, worried about the Iwa-nin. "Wouldn't you rather wait and succeed than rush into this and fail?"

Pein looked at the Uchiha, slowly nodded. "I will think about it." He walked back into the kitchen, the raven-haired man following him.

"Everyone SHUT UP!" roared Pein, causing everyone in the room to drop what they were doing, both figuratively and literally.

Hidan dropped his plate, causing Kakuzu to smack him on the back of the head. "Baka! That was expensive!"

The immortal was going to answer, but took one look at Pein and shut up.

"I have an announcement to make," continued the orange-haired man. "There was an…incident last night. Orochimaru somehow got into the base."

"What?" shouted Hidan. "How the fuck did he get past our defenses? Damn snake!"

"I wasn't finished, Hidan," Pein replied, teeth clenched. The Jashinist stopped talking and sat down once more. "It seems that he…assaulted Deidara-san."

"Assaulted as in fought, or as in raped?" asked Kisame.

The Akatsuki leader nodded at the second definition, and the shark-nin's face seemed to pale in color. "That's sick!" he finally spat.

"You mean, the snake bastard…and Blondie…? Oh Jashin, that's fuckin' wrong!" exclaimed Hidan, his mauve eyes widening. They narrowed, and he continued. "Jashin-sama will punish that piece of shit! Or _I _will!"

"Deidara-san already killed him, Hidan-san," answered Pein. "The traitor is finally out of our lives. You can thank Deidara-san for that."

"But at what cost?" Itachi heard Konan whisper sadly, mostly to herself. The raven-haired man found himself agreeing with the lone female of the Akatsuki. _Indeed, at what cost? _He found himself worrying about the bomber, and he didn't know why. Maybe it was because Orochimaru used to obsess over him as well, or maybe because he felt bad for using Mangekyo on him. Whatever the reason, he found that he never wanted to see Deidara in pain. Never. _I will help you get through this, Deidara-san. I just wish you'd trust me. _With that, he left the cacophony of the kitchen, walking to Sasori and Deidara's room. He needed to ask Sasori a few questions.

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And that's the end of Chapter Twenty. I know it seems a bit shorter, but I couldn't make it any longer without getting boring.

I hope Konan's part was all right. The bruises on her arms do have significance; they will be explained in a later chapter.

Aww! Cute moments with Aoi and Sasori! I hope they weren't cheesy.

I know Itachi was a bit OOC, but I wanted to show his caring side. Same thing with Hidan. I wanted to show that he was more than a masochistic immortal with a vulgar vocabulary. I hope I didn't mess him up too much.

Sheesh, Pein is such a jerk in this chapter!

…This will be explained later, but Madara took Orochimaru's body from the base and burned it. So no, Zetsu didn't eat it.

I know this was boring, but I hope you enjoyed it!


	22. Chapter TwentyOne: Eyes

Welcome to Chapter Twenty One! I'm so happy that people really like my story; it's my first one for the _Naruto _fandom.

This chapter might seem filler-ish, but there are some very important parts to the plot in it. It will be a rather serious chapter, but there are some (hopefully) funny parts and some happy, cute parts.

This chapter will focus on Konan, Sasori, Deidara, and Aoi. Konan will actually play a big part in this story arc. Speaking of the story arc, Madara will not be that big of an antagonist in this part of the story. Other characters will be, though. They won't be as disgustingly creepy as Orochimaru, but they'll be evil in their own way, lol.

…This is random, but I only have one more final exam before winter break! It's physics, though, (ick!). If this chapter doesn't seem the best, it's because I was studying my physics notes while I was typing this, lolz.

I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed or added this to their favorites/alerts lists! All of you are awesome! I'm very happy (and shocked) that I have over ninety-five reviews!

This chapter takes place a week after the previous one.

*Warning: This chapter contains language*

I don't own Naruto (do I really need this disclaimer anymore? Lolz.)

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-Chapter Twenty-One: Eyes-

It had been a week since Orochimaru's death, and things at the Akatsuki lair were starting to finally get back to normal. Deidara wasn't even close to being the person he once was, but everyone else, minus him, Sasori, Aoi, Itachi, and Konan, seemed to be going back to their usual routines.

Konan sat on Madara's bed, hugging her knees to her chest. Said Uchiha was off on a solo mission, so she took advantage of his absence. Zetsu was at his desk, looking worriedly at the origami artist. He wasn't sure why she was in his room, but didn't question it. To him, Konan looked tired and sad. She also held a hand against her right ear.

The blue-haired woman knew that she must've looked like a mess. But she didn't care. Pein was ranting about how Deidara should have been recovering faster, and how he was weak. She stuck up for the bomber, and she didn't expect for the orange-haired man to physically fight her; she was shocked that he actually struck her face. Most of the time, whenever Pein got angry, he would grab Konan's arm and that would be it. But something just snapped this time, and the origami artist found herself getting punched and kicked all over. She didn't fight back; she knew it would cause her more harm. She didn't expect him to go past that, but he ended up stabbing the cartilage of her right ear with one of his chakra receptors. Konan realized that he was trying to control her. Though it hurt excruciatingly, she ripped the receptor out of her ear and ran as fast as she could to Zetsu's room. She just hoped that Pein wouldn't follow her.

She was broken out of her thoughts when Zetsu dropped a gauze bandage in her lap. "How did you know?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

"I could smell the blood. You look like such a mess, Konan-san. **What the hell happened to you?**"

Even the bi-colored man's darker half was concerned, so the Ame-nin found herself explaining everything to him.

"You're staying here tonight. It's not safe for you to go back. **Not yet,**" both sides of Zetsu agreed. Konan sighed, taping the bandage to her ear. _Nagato, what happened to you? _This was not the man she once loved, nor the Yahiko that she was best friends with. Somehow, he had gotten himself warped into someone different, someone cold and unfeeling. _Sasori has more sympathy than him, and he's not even human. _She couldn't help being protective of Deidara; he was the youngest in the organization. In her eyes, he was still a child. And for something like that to happen to him at such a young age, no, at _any _age, was more than she could bear. She didn't know how it was possible for Pein not to feel _anything _for the blonde; hell, even _Hidan _was upset. It sickened her to know that the Akatsuki members were just tools to him, worthless if they were broken.

She sadly curled up under the covers of Madara's bed, trying to get some sleep when Zetsu turned off the light. Before she closed her eyes, she prayed to the heavens that Deidara would heal quickly, so that he would be able to be happy, like she did every night since the attack. Once she was finished, she closed her eyes, falling into a dreamless sleep.

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The next morning, Sasori woke up, and like every morning since Deidara was attacked, stroked the bomber's hair. To an outsider, it would look romantic, though in reality, it was anything but. Instead, it was a gesture that comforted the blonde, for some reason. He gently woke his partner up, telling him that it was time for breakfast.

As if right on cue, Aoi showed up with two plates full of breakfast; one for herself and one for Deidara. Since he still wasn't ready to eat in the kitchen with the rest of the group, he and Aoi ate their meals in their room. Sometimes, Itachi would join them, which greatly confused the blonde. Sasori knew that the Iwa-nin was internally debating with himself, torn between keeping his grudge against the Uchiha and happy that someone besides the puppet master and Aoi cared about him. Usually, the stubborn side won, but the raven-haired man stayed in the room despite Deidara's insults to him.

Sasori wondered why this was as he watched the two eat. _Is Itachi falling in love with him? _he asked himself. He wasn't that experienced at reading what certain emotions meant, but he knew that the Uchiha cared for Deidara more than a normal person would. The puppeteer was confused.

He was broken out of his thoughts when Aoi wrapped her arm around his shoulders. The brunette was getting bolder with her embraces, something that amused the redhead greatly. He remembered back to when she was first summoned to the base, and she was so embarrassed to borrow his clothes. He knew the girl wasn't romantically experienced, but she was quite good at being cute. He realized that this was a side of her that no one in her world had ever seen before. _The males in her world were idiots to miss someone this special, this _unique. He couldn't understand why everyone shunned her; she didn't kill her whole family, assassinate her country's leader, or have mouths on her palms. Hell, she seemed to be normal compared to the Akatsuki. But he knew that people, no matter where they lived, be it Suna, Iwa, or the United States, are just naturally cruel to others who don't follow the social norms. It was a fact of life, just human nature.

He turned to Aoi and gave her a quick kiss. She smiled, blushing furiously. The puppet master looked at Deidara, who was staring at them with a small smile on his face. Sasori was happy; his partner hadn't truly smiled in a long time. _How the hell is he still so pure? After he kills countless people and gets assaulted by Orochimaru, he still finds happiness when _others _rejoice? _That made Sasori even sicker as he thought about what had happened to his partner; someone like him didn't deserve the torture he was put through.

"I hope you don't mind that I looked through your bag yesterday, un," Deidara said quietly, quickly glancing at Aoi and then looking down. "I was bored, and I wanted to see your drawings, un."

Aoi smiled. "Not at all! You can look at my drawings anytime! Did you see the new one of you I drew?"

"Yeah, it was beautiful, un."

Sasori knew which drawing they were talking about; the brunette asked him to critique it two days ago. It was a picture of Deidara on his clay bird, looking majestic as he dropped one of his bombs on Sunagakure. The redhead considered it to be one of her best works.

"You got the colors of the explosion just right, un," he said, smiling more as he talked about his art. "The expressions of those stupid Suna civilians were perfect too!"

"Thank you!" exclaimed Aoi. "I don't usually work with color, so I hoped it looked okay.

"Hey, Aoi-san, can I keep it and frame it, un?" he asked eagerly. Sasori hadn't heard him sound this excited in a long time.

"Sure, Deidara-san, if you like it that much. Here." She carefully ripped the drawing out of her sketchbook and gave it to the bomber, who was almost afraid to touch it.

The whole scene made Sasori's heart feel warm. "Hey, brat! I thought you said art is fleeting!"

"It is, Sasori no danna, but I'm going to make an exception this once, un," he retorted, eyes gleaming. The puppet master knew that the bomber was healing, though slowly. He knew that once he got over what had happened to him, he would be just fine, if not wiser than he was before.

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Aoi also noticed Deidara's change in mood. She hoped that he would only get better from this point on; she had come to think of the blonde as one of her best friends and couldn't take seeing him hurt. _Imagine if the people at school heard that I was friends with a fictional character! _She silently laughed. _They'd all think I was crazy! Then again, they already did!_

"Hey, Aoi-san, what's this, un?" asked Deidara. He held her cell phone in his hand, the tongue of his palm-mouth licking the screen.

_Okay, ew! _Aloud, she explained, "That's a cell phone. In my world, we use them to communicate with each other, kind of like the wireless headsets you have."

The bomber nodded. The brunette took the phone from him and slid the front of it to the side. It revealed a small keyboard. "People use the keyboard to text," she continued. "That means that they send small messages to each other. It can also take pictures."

"What an intriguing device," said Sasori, who had listened to every word.

Suddenly, an idea came to Aoi. Even though she couldn't get a signal and couldn't use the phone to call or text—she had tried before—the other applications should work, since the phone was still charged. She turned the phone on and pressed the camera button. "Smile!" she said, positioning the camera just right so that it fit everyone in the picture. She pressed the button, taking the picture. She looked at it, and smiled. "You two look so perfect! I just ruin the picture with my damned mechanical eye!"

"Don't say that, un. You look fine," said Deidara.

"For once, I agree with the brat. You look great." He leaned onto her, kissing her cheek. "Are you losing more of your vision?" he whispered.

Aoi shook her head. "It's still hard to see out of it, though."

"I'll talk to Kakuzu-san about it," the redhead whispered, kissing the brunette once more.

_For a fictional character, he's an amazing kisser, _she thought, giggling. _Okay, _that _doesn't sound weird at all._

"What are you two whispering about, un?" the Iwa-nin joked. "Nothing too dirty, I hope!

The brunette blushed, and Sasori grimaced. They had never gotten past kissing, and Aoi was happy with that. She preferred to take romance as slow as possible; she was still awkward around people. She was about to answer with what she thought was a great comeback when the door opened, Itachi stepping into the room.

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"What the hell are _you _doing here, Uchiha, un?" Deidara demanded angrily.

"We need to take a walk," the raven-haired man answered smoothly. "We need to discuss some things that are of great importance to the Akatsuki."

"If it's so important, why didn't Pein come to talk to me, un?" the bomber retorted. _Stupid weasel! _

"Please, I will explain everything while we walk." Something about Itachi's voice was…different. It seemed to have taken a worried tone.

"Fine, un," sighed the Iwa-nin, slowly getting out of bed and sliding his slippers on his feet. "Let's walk."

Once the two had left the room, Itachi turned to Deidara. "I offered to talk with you because Pein is…in a bad mood at the moment. You weren't at breakfast, so you didn't see Konan-san."

The blonde felt a sinking feeling creep into his stomach as Itachi continued. "Her face had bruises all over it, and she wore a bandage on one of her ears. I have no doubt that Pein caused this; he's still upset that we're so behind schedule."

"So you want me to try to go after a jinchuriki soon, un." Deidara realized where this conversation was going. "I'll try, but I really don't think I'll be ready yet."

Itachi was about to answer when a familiar figure stepped out from the shadows. "Well, it looks like Prince Deidara is finally out of his room!" he mocked.

_ Pein, _thought the Iwa-nin, his heart sinking. He had been slowly becoming more and more afraid of the Akatsuki leader ever since he tried to drown Aoi.

"Are you finally ready to capture the One-Tail? Sasori must be pissed off; you kept him waiting long enough!"

"P-please, Pein-sama, just give me some more time, un. Maybe a week or two more?"

"Are you seriously asking me that? You look fine to me! Stop overreacting and making everyone baby you; you're nothing special!" thundered the pierced man.

"Pein-sama?"

"Shut up, Itachi! This is between me and him!" Pein narrowed his eyes, turning away from the Uchiha. "As I was saying, you and Sasori will leave for Suna in three days! That's final!"

Deidara tried to control his nervousness, but it wasn't working. He let out a small whimper, which unfortunately, Pein heard.

"Now you're going to cry? What's the matter with you? You're a fucking S-Class shinobi!" With that, he swung his fist forward, ready to punch Deidara's face.

The blonde closed his eyes and flinched, preparing for the pain. But it never came. He opened his eyes to see Itachi in front of him, holding his mouth, blood dripping from it. _Uchiha took the punch for me? Why? _

"Honestly, Pein-sama, he gets _raped _and you expect him to bounce back like nothing happened? You have no comprehension of the human mind! You know nothing at all!" Itachi spat, blood still dripping down his chin. "I'm surprised at you!"

_Itachi? Why? _thought Deidara. _I've been nothing but rude to him since I became a member of the Akatsuki. Why's he sticking up for me?_

"I'll explain it for the last time: Deidara-san and Sasori-san won't work efficiently until Deidara-san is healed. That will take a month or more."

"I can't wait that long! Sabaku no Gaara can be getting stronger as we speak!" snapped Pein.

"Then send _me _with Sasori-san, if you're that impatient!"

"No, Deidara will not weasel his way out of his duties. Just because Orochimaru assaulted him doesn't mean he gets special treatment!" answered Pein.

"He will _not _go on any missions until his mind is healed!" hissed Itachi, grabbing Deidara's hand and nearly dragging him back to his room.

For once, Deidara didn't resist the Uchiha. He was too stunned about what just happened to be stubborn. _What the hell is up with Itachi? _

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And that's the end of Chapter Twenty-One! When I reread it, it seems so filler-ish! But I think it's an okay chapter, lolz.

Jeez, poor Konan! I think Pein is now a permanent jerk! Zetsu's nice to Konan in this chapter. (Zetsu x Konan: I've never thought of that pairing before, lolz)

Yay! Deidara's healing! He will continue to get better in future chapters.

I found the cell phone part to be really funny! (I fail at writing humor, so I hope it wasn't too bad).

No, Itachi! Your beautiful face! (Pein is just an ass in this chapter, isn't he). This chapter had some ItaDei-ish moments, lolz.

…I see Itachi as someone who has great knowledge of psychology and the workings of the human mind because he uses genjutsu.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	23. Chapter TwentyTwo: Confusion

Welcome to Chapter Twenty-Two! On Microsoft Word, this is page 168!

My finals are over; my winter break is finally here! That means I'll be able to completely focus on the story without worrying about schoolwork (except for some AP Government homework).

I hope everyone had happy holidays! I was so happy when I opened up one of my presents and found that it was an Akatsuki cloak! Now my Sasori costume is complete, lolz. I also got more Akatsuki key chains and Shippuden DVD sets.

I can't believe that this story has over one hundred reviews! That was a goal of mine, and now it's achieved! I am super happy! As usual, thanks for all the reviews! They really make my day!

This chapter focuses a lot on Itachi and his growing feelings for Deidara. (I haven't decided whether the feelings will be only of friendship or of romance; if they were to become a couple, it wouldn't happen for a long time). It will also focus on Sasori, Pein (gasp!), and Itachi. Pein gets extremely angry in this, but it is because he is just so angry that his organization seems to be falling apart and is behind schedule. Keep that in mind when reading his part.

The chapter continues where the previous ended.

*Warning: this chapter contains language and violence*

I don't own Naruto, lolz.

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-Chapter Twenty-Two: Confusion-

Itachi wasn't sure why he brought Deidara to his room; it was just instinct. Plus, it was closer than the bomber's own room. He wasn't sure if Pein would come after them; he was pretty sure that he wouldn't, but closed and locked the door anyways.

At the sound of the lock clicking into place, Deidara stiffened, his eyes going wide. "Please don't hurt me, un," he whispered.

Itachi looked at the blonde, understanding what happened. He realized that the door locking triggered the Iwa-nin to think about the attack. The Uchiha wasn't sure what to do. If it was anyone besides Deidara, he would have walked away, leaving them to fend for themselves. But there was something about the bomber that made Itachi want to make sure he was all right. He hesitantly walked up to where Deidara was sitting on the floor, his knees brought up to his chest. The Uchiha kneeled down to his level and placed a hand on his shoulder. The blonde fearfully looked up at him. "Go away. Leave me alone, un."

Itachi realized that there was something wrong with the Iwa-nin. Despite his terrified expression, the sentence was spoken in a monotone. Acting on a hunch, he placed his hand on Deidara's forehead. _I was right; he has a fever, _he thought. _Probably because of all the trauma; I'm surprised he didn't get sick sooner. _Aloud, he asked, "Hey, Deidara-san? Do you want me to take you back to your room so you can take a nap?"

The blonde didn't answer. Itachi looked at him and realized that he had fallen asleep. He grabbed the blanket from Kisame's bed and covered him with it.

As the minutes turned into an hour, Itachi realized that Deidara wasn't waking up any time soon. The raven-haired man was usually not one to pry into anyone else's business, but for some reason, he wanted to know what exactly happened the night of the attack. _I need to know how broken his mind is so I can get a clear estimate as to when he'll be well enough to capture the One-Tail, _he reasoned. He activated his Sharingan and gently pried open one of the blonde's eyes, staring directly into it.

He found himself once again in the blackness of Deidara's mind. However, Orochimaru's jutsu was broken, for when the Uchiha mentally asked to see the memory, he was easily drawn into it.

When he first saw Orochimaru, he clenched his fists. The sannin had gotten paler and older looking from when the Uchiha last saw him, even though he still looked young for his age. Itachi felt himself move closer to Deidara in reality, though in the memory, he couldn't move. He saw the snake break the Iwa-nin's arm and leg, and he longed to use Mangekyo on him. The raven-haired man's sick stomach got even more nauseous as the memory went on. As an effect of looking into someone's memories, he was forced to watch everything, even when he wanted to look away. When the blonde started screaming for Sasori, Itachi just wanted to leave. But he couldn't; he was stuck in the memory until it was over. He completely lost it when he heard _his _name being screamed as well. Itachi bit his lip as hard as he could, hoping that the pain would snap him out of the memory.

For once, it worked, and the raven-haired man found himself kneeling on the floor of his room, his lip throbbing to his pulse and bleeding. He ran to the bathroom and kneeled over the toilet, retching. _That was…horrifying! _Itachi knew that Deidara wouldn't be fully healed for a very long time, if he ever did. As he flushed the toilet, one part of the memory stuck with him, haunting him whenever he blinked. No matter how much the bomber said that he hated him, he called out _his _name, begging for the Uchiha to save him, to kill him. And all Itachi could see was the blonde's normally smirking face twisted in fear and agony, tears pouring from his eyes. It was an image that would stick with him forever. _Pein is wrong. How can Deidara be blamed for acting like he is; anyone would if they went through _that_! _He decided that when Pein was in a better mood, he would have a serious talk with him. If the orange-haired man _needed _for someone to capture the One-Tail, he himself could be partnered with Sasori. The raven-haired man and the puppeteer worked well together, and he knew that Sasori wouldn't want Deidara to fight any battles before he was ready. Though the redhead claimed to be emotionless, Itachi knew that he cared deeply for his partner.

After another hour, Itachi looked up from the book he started reading as he heard Deidara start to wake up.

"My head hurts, un," the blonde moaned, one of his hands pressed against the side of his head. He shakily stood up. "Unlock the door, Uchiha; I need to go back to my room."

"Are you sure? You have a fever," stated Itachi.

"I'm fine. I just want to sculpt, un."

The raven-haired man nodded, unlocking and opening the door. "Are you sure you want to go out there by yourself?"

"Yes! What's the matter with you, Uchiha? Why are you so protective of me, un?" asked Deidara, head tilted in confusion.

"I don't want you to get hurt again," answered Itachi.

"Please," replied the bomber, his harsh tone of voice getting softer, more fearful, "don't be so protective. Pein already thinks I get special treatment from everyone."

Itachi's heart sank as he realized how scared the Iwa-nin was of their leader. He knew that he was jeopardizing the blonde's safety by being so openly concerned, and didn't want Pein to really hurt him. "Very well, Deidara-san. I will watch from the shadows, but do not expect me to come to your aid anymore." _I will help you if you really need it, _he thought.

Deidara nodded. "Goodbye, Uchiha, un." With that, he left the room.

Despite what Itachi had said before, he quietly followed the blonde; he wanted to make sure he got to his room safely.

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When Itachi pretty much dragged Deidara back to his room, Pein's anger boiled inside of him. He knew, deep down, that he was overreacting, but he couldn't _stand _to be behind schedule. He stalked back to his own room, cursing Deidara in his mind. He knew he should be cursing Orochimaru, but at the moment, it was only the blonde he was upset with.

He looked at Konan's pristine bed and narrowed his eyes in rage. Ever since he lost his temper and attacked her, she had been sleeping in Zetsu's room while Madara was away. He and the origami artist had been so close until the attack. Pein was concerned about the efficiency of his organization, but Konan was only worried about the bomber's _feelings_. In the pierced man's opinion, Deidara should have recovered faster; he was an S-Class shinobi; he should be able to handle torture. There was no excuse for the way that he was acting, in his eyes. He gritted his teeth, trying to calm down. He took deep breaths, and started to do some paperwork.

After about two hours, Pein had pretty much had enough. He was too angry to think straight, so he decided to give up on the paperwork and bring some lunch back to his room. As he walked down the main hallway, he saw someone quickly turn down one of the branch hallways. _Deidara, _he smirked. _Perfect. _He was going to order the bomber to capture his assigned jinchuriki. Plus, he was itching to get rid of all the anger that he had built up inside him. He followed the Iwa-nin until he was just outside of his room. He was about to open the door when the pierced man grabbed the collar of his shirt, harshly pulling him back. "What the hell, un?" he asked.

"You are going to capture Sabaku no Gaara, even if I have to beat you into submission!" Pein hissed, grabbing his neck.

"I'm. Not. Ready," he rasped.

The orange-haired man smirked as he let go of the bomber's neck, punching him in the jaw.

"I don't want to fight you, un," he said, holding his hands up. Blood dripped out of his mouth, and his eyes were clouded with pain and…something else. _A fever? _Pein smirked once more. _He looks positively pathetic. It shouldn't be long now before he caves and agrees with me._

Deidara's eyes widened as Pein grabbed onto his shoulders and threw him to the floor. Before the blonde could get up, the orange-haired man stomped a foot on his chest, pleased when he heard several cracks. The Iwa-nin gasped in pain and tried to push the pierced man's foot off of him. Pein removed it on instinct when he felt Deidara's palm-mouths slobbering on his ankle. "You disgusting _freak!_" he spat, kicking the hands off. He moved his foot above one of them, holding it in midair. "You make me sick!" He then brought that foot down with as much force as he could onto Deidara's hand. This time, the bomber did more than just whimper. He screamed, and Pein knew that he had broken his hand. The blonde flipped his hand over as the Akatsuki leader removed his foot, eyes widening as he saw blood dripping out of the mouth on it.

Pein kneeled down next to him, grabbing his shirt and forcing him to sit up. "Well, do you still resist my order?"

"Itachi-san says that I'm not ready, and I agree with him, un."

"Why are you not recovered from it?" shouted the pierced man, violently shaking the Iwa-nin. "You should be able to take torture of all kinds! You're a man; _get over it_! Orochimaru could have wanted to steal information about us; we're lucky he only wanted you! Why do you care so much about what he did? You shouldn't feel any emotions from this!" He leaned in and quickly, but roughly, kissed the blonde's lips. "And you know why?" he continued, his voice getting louder. "It's because you're a fucking _male _for Kami's sake, and so am I! You shouldn't feel _anything _from that!" He paused, smirking. "Unless you're one of those unnatural people who _like _it! I bet you are, considering how much else is wrong with you!" He looked at Deidara, who had the fingertips of his unbroken hand touching his lips. His eyes were dull, and Pein was pretty sure that he won.

"No," he said quietly. "I refuse to give in to you, un."

Pein was so angry; he grabbed Deidara's neck and squeezed it as hard as he could, cutting off his air supply. He felt the bomber try to pry his hands off, but wasn't strong enough. The pierced man had every intention to kill the blonde, but was caught off-guard when he felt a fist connect with the side of his face. He dropped Deidara in shock, who fell to the ground, holding his neck and gasping for air. The orange-haired man realized then and there that the entire Akatsuki minus Madara was present in the hallway, staring at him with shocked and horrified looks on their faces. Pein felt his anger disappear, and realized that he had gone too far. _What have I done?_

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Sasori couldn't take it anymore. He and Aoi had rushed out of his room, thinking that Hidan and Kakuzu were at it again. He was horrified to find Pein pretty much beating Deidara senseless and shouting cruel taunts at him. As soon as the orange-haired man started strangling his partner, the redhead ran to where all of this was happening and punched his leader on the side of his face as hard as he could. He realized that the rest of the Akatsuki were there as well, looking shocked. Even Kakuzu looked moderately upset, though he never gave a damn about anyone before.

Pein looked at Deidara, his own hands, and then finally, the rest of the Akatsuki. His expression was filled with shame, and he ran off, leaving the rest of the organization staring at him.

Sasori then turned to Deidara, who was coughing up blood. "Thank you, danna," he said, smiling weakly, going into another coughing fit.

Without being ordered to, Kakuzu walked up to the blonde, placing his glowing hands on his chest. "He's punctured a lung," he stated. After a few minutes of silence, he finally spoke. "I healed his lung and ribs. Are there any other injuries?"

Deidara held up his left hand, which was swollen. Blood was oozing from the mouth on it, which was swollen as well.

Sasori winced; he knew that the bomber's palm-mouths were extremely sensitive. _Damn it, Pein! Why would you do this to him? _The puppet master knew the answer to this, though: anger. The Akatsuki leader was angry with Deidara for multiple reasons, and just finally lost control of that anger. Sasori remembered how he had gotten into a rage and almost killed his partner without knowing it. The redhead guessed that this was what happened to Pein. However much of a control freak the pierced-man was, he wouldn't normally attempt to kill his subordinates.

The forgiveness that Sasori was about to give Pein was thrown out the window when he looked at Deidara. Every time Kakuzu would try to touch his hand to heal it, the blonde would whimper and pull his hand away.

"Damn it, Deidara!" the stitched man was getting angry. "How do you expect me to heal your hand if you keep moving it?"

"I-I'm sorry," he replied. "It just hurts, un."

"I really don't give a damn; just keep your hand still so I can get on with my life!"

The Iwa-nin nodded and shakily held out his hand. However, as soon as the Taki-nin touched it, he winced and pulled it back.

"Somebody hold him down!" snapped Kakuzu, irritated. Sasori was about to follow the order when he realized that Itachi had gotten there first. He gently but firmly grabbed the bomber's arm, forcing his hand to stay where it was. He placed his other hand on the blonde's shoulder, holding it in place.

As Kakuzu healed his hand, the puppet master noticed that Deidara's eyes were watering. _Every part of his life has been a living hell, _he thought, narrowing his eyes. _Was he destined for this?_

Once he was healed, Deidara pushed Itachi off of him, muttering, "Damned Uchiha!" Sasori managed a weak smile. _At least that part of his personality stayed the same. _As the blonde got up, the redhead and Aoi walked next to him.

"Pein's going to pay for that," Aoi muttered.

"No! Don't even _think _about going after him," said Deidara. "He won't hesitate to kill you, and I couldn't bear to lose you, un."

"I'm not going to do anything," Aoi rolled her eye. "He just lost all the respect everyone had for him. Even Hidan-san and Kakuzu-san are furious!"

"I'm not sure about Kakuzu," Deidara joked. "He didn't seem to care, un."

"He did heal you without being given an order to, brat," replied Sasori. As the three walked into their room, the redhead thought, _She's right. I wonder what will happen to our organization now. _Even though he might not care for everyone in it, he didn't want it to fail and disband. _It's my only home now. _He looked at Deidara, who had fallen asleep on his bed, and Aoi, who started to draw in her sketchbook. _It's their only home too. _He realized that he would stay in the Akatsuki, no matter who led it, and knew that Aoi and Deidara would too. _Pein's just lucky we have nowhere else to go. But if he ever goes near Aoi or Deidara again, I will rip every single one of his piercings out! I'm keeping my eye on him…_

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And that's the end of Chapter Twenty-Two! I know it was a weird place to end it at, but I planned it like that.

I actually like how this chapter turned out. I wanted to make Itachi care about Deidara, but not too much. Since a lot of people liked my suggestion of ItaDei, those two will eventually become a couple (but it won't happen for awhile).

Gahh! Pein is such a jerk! I wanted to write his and Deidara's fight in his perspective to show what he is thinking, and to specifically say _why _he's acting like this in the first place. He is supposed to be the meanest he can be here. He does feel bad, though, so he's not completely heartless.

Sasori finally got to punch Pein, lolz. I had been wanting to write that scene for a long time!

Lolz, deep down, Kakuzu does care.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	24. Chapter TwentyThree: Sickness

Welcome to Chapter Twenty-Three! This chapter will definitely not be as action-y as the one before it, but it is needed to move the story along.

This chapter will focus a lot on Pein and his feelings. He will become less of a jerk from this chapter onward; his anger climaxed in the last chapter. It will also focus on Aoi, Sasori, and Hidan. (A lot of people wanted more of him in the story, so I'm adding more parts about him, lolz).

Since most people liked my suggestion of ItaDei, I have decided that they will become a couple. It will be gradual, though. (I normally support SasoDei, but ItaDei makes sense for this story.)

Many thanks go to everyone who reviewed and/or put this on their favorites/alerts list! I am so happy that I have over 110 reviews; I never expected for so many people to like the story.

*Warning: This chapter contains language and blood*

This chapter continues from where the last one ended.

I don't own Naruto, nor do I own the song "You'll be in my Heart". The former belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, while the latter belongs to Phil Collins and Disney.

I hope you enjoy the chapter.

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-Chapter Twenty-Three: Sickness-

Pein sat on his bed, eyes closed, fiddling with the chakra receptors that pierced his nose. _What have I done? _he thought, thinking of Deidara. He had been so _angry_ at the blonde; all he wanted to do was make him follow orders, no matter what the cost. _What kind of leader am I? _He was sickened by the fact that he almost killed the Iwa-nin. He clenched his teeth as he thought of how he broke the bomber's hand; he knew that they were sensitive due to the mouths on them, and he had exploited that fact. The orange-haired man remembered how he viciously taunted Deidara, and he shook his head. _That was wrong. _I _was wrong. _The blonde had resisted him after all the pierced man put him through. _He's not weak. _He knew that the rest of the Akatsuki wouldn't forgive him for a long time, if they ever did. _I really screwed up this time, didn't I?_

Pein sighed and laid down on his bed. He was _not _looking forward to apologizing to the organization, but he knew it had to be done. Out of all the members, he was least looking forward to visiting Sasori. First, he had terrorized Aoi, who was obviously in a relationship with the redhead, and after, pretty much beat his partner senseless. _He probably wants to kill me right now, _he thought. He figured that it wouldn't be a good idea to visit the puppeteer just yet, nor the rest of the Akatsuki for that matter. _I'll just wait until everyone is cooled down._

A soft knock on the door snapped him out of his thoughts. He assumed that whoever it was just wanted to talk since he or she hadn't barged right in. He slowly walked to the door and opened it, looking into the eyes of Itachi and Konan.

"We need to talk, Pein-sama," stated the Uchiha, dark gray eyes narrowed.

"Very well, come in," sighed Pein. He knew that those two would be the first to approach him; they always were. Plus, the pierced man noticed the growing feelings Itachi had for Deidara; it was quite obvious once he first saw the raven-haired man protecting him.

"I'm worried about you," said Konan, her amber eyes fixed on him. "I don't like who you've become."

The orange-haired man sighed once more and invited them to sit down. He explained how he was so stressed lately, and all the anger he felt built up inside him until he snapped and attacked Deidara. He ended his explanation with, "I know that didn't give me an excuse to be so ruthless to him, but please understand that I am remorseful."

Konan nodded, her expression turning relieved.

"I am also deeply sorry for attacking you, Konan. Afterwards, I could barely look at you; I was so ashamed. You were…you were…right about Deidara."

The Ame-nin's cheeks turned a pinkish color. "You are forgiven, Pein-sama."

Itachi still didn't look convinced. "What makes you think this won't happen again? Admit it, Pein, you never liked him."

"It's because he was so young when he joined," Pein blurted out. "I didn't want to give him special treatment."

"I was younger than him when I joined," Itachi retorted.

"That is true, Itachi-san," the Akatsuki leader replied. "But you were so much more…reserved…than he was. You acted older than your age; you were more mature."

"That doesn't give you the right to treat him differently than me; everyone's personality is unique. Hidan-san is even more conspicuous than Deidara-san on missions," argued the Uchiha.

"Itachi-san!" Konan snapped. "Just forgive Pein-sama; he is sorry for what he did!"

"I cannot. Not until he promises to leave Deidara-san alone. I won't forgive him until he stops trying to force him to capture Gaara."

"Very well, we can wait," sighed Pein. "But answer this question, Itachi: why do you care so much? You never have before. Are you…attracted to him?"

"If I was, why would I tell _you_? You certainly made your opinions on homosexuality very clear," the raven-haired man said coldly.

Pein tugged on the collar of his shirt; he had suddenly gotten very nervous. "Er, I really didn't mean that; it just slipped out. At that moment, I just wanted to break his spirit."

"Honestly, you call yourself a leader? Do you even know Deidara's past?" accused Itachi.

The orange-haired man shook his head, a sinking feeling filling up his stomach.

The Uchiha bitterly explained Deidara's miserable childhood. Afterwards, he said, "Do you see now why he is so sensitive? People have been calling him worthless all his life. He has been hurt physically and emotionally. He was already an extremely fragile person before the incident with Orochimaru. That bastard finally shattered his mind, and then you had to break him further? How can I forgive you after that?"

"So you _are _attracted to him," stated Pein. _I knew it._

Itachi didn't answer, but the slight twinge of color on his face confirmed it.

"For awhile now, I thought you were in love with Kisame. Then again, the stupid blonde is closer to you in age, so I guess it makes sense that you'd fall for him," smirked the pierced man.

"Don't change the subject!" Itachi pretty much snarled this. "And there you go again! How dare you call him 'stupid'? What do you have against him?"

"Nothing," sighed Pein. "It just slipped out. As you can see, I've been very stressed lately, with Orochimaru and the girl delaying our missions."

"The girl's name is Aoi. And she probably saved us all. She gave up a lot being here, you know. You should show her—and Deidara—more respect. They've both been through more than anyone their ages should have."

Pein was getting tired of all the bantering. He just wanted Itachi to forgive him and leave. "Fine. I will stay away from him for awhile. I will be keeping an eye on you two, though; you know that relationships are not tolerated in this organization."

"Understood," said Itachi. "I forgive you, but if anything else happens to Deidara, you will lose me as an ally. I will remain in the Akatsuki, but I will not treat you as my leader."

Pein nodded, knowing that this was the best he was going to get. "I understand. You may go now, Itachi."

The Uchiha bowed his head and left.

"Do you really mean that, Pein?" asked Konan, who had been listening to the entire conversation.

"Yes," he answered, pulling her close to him. "I do mean it. And I also meant what I said to you, Konan; I really am sorry for everything. I never meant to hurt you! You're the only one I have left."

The origami artist nodded. "I want things to go back to the way they were before, Pein, I really do. I'm just not sure I trust you fully yet."

"I understand." Pein looked at her, truly saddened. It would take awhile for her to get close to him again, if she ever did. _I guess that this is only fair after I messed everything up, _he thought. He sighed once more as she left the room, closing the door behind her. Now he was truly alone, in more ways than one.

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Sasori's eyes were fixed on his partner as he fell asleep from everything that had happened to him. Unconsciously, the blonde started to shake. Aoi had noticed this, and stopped drawing. She walked over to his bed and stroked his hair.

The puppet master watched—and listened—as she began to sing. Her voice was low, but still feminine. Sasori didn't recognize the lyrics to the song; he suspected that it was from her world. However, he liked it, thinking that her voice was beautiful. While she was singing, he noticed that Deidara had stopped shaking, and a peaceful look appeared on his face.

"What was the name of that song?" he asked.

"It's called 'You'll be in my Heart'," Aoi explained. "When I would sleep over at my grandmother's house when I was younger, she would sing it to me whenever I woke up from a bad dream. It always made me feel at peace, so I thought it would help Deidara-san sleep too."

"It looks like it worked," said Sasori, gesturing to the bomber's sleeping form. "You have a beautiful voice, Aoi. Do you sing often?"

"Not really," she answered. "When people at my school heard me sing, they thought I sounded like a man. So I stopped. I really don't care about what people think of me, but I didn't want to be ridiculed anymore than I was usually."

"They're idiots. Any intelligent person would know that your voice sounds distinctly feminine. People must not have an ear for music in your world."

The redhead noticed the girl blush. After a moment of silence, she spoke. "You are the only person besides my parents that has ever truly complemented me." In a lower voice she continued, "And I just think they complemented me because I was their daughter; I don't think they meant any of it."

"Your world is messed up more than this one," Sasori found himself saying.

"How so?" asked Aoi.

"If you had chakra, you'd probably be a damn good kunoichi," he answered. "In this world, skill is valued more than appearance. If you grew up here, even without chakra, you'd probably be living in a village, being praised as a successful artist."

"Boy, was I born into the wrong world," Aoi muttered. "I belong here; I always knew I never fit in with my world."

"Then it was probably destiny that you were summoned here," said Sasori, leaning back on his bed.

The brunette nodded, and proceeded to go back to drawing, every once and awhile staring at Deidara. The puppet master saw that her eyes were filled with sadness, and he knew that she still blamed herself for what happened to the bomber.

The redhead felt a twinge of sadness; he hated seeing her like this, so he slid off of his bed and walked over to where she was sitting, placing his arms around her shoulders.

"I'm okay, Sasori-san," she said. He knew that the smile she put on was fake, and he pulled her close.

"No you're not," he replied. "But you will be." He then kissed her. When he finally pulled away, he saw that she was wearing a bittersweet smile. _At least it's better than the fake one, _he thought. Sensing that the brunette wanted to be alone, he walked back to his bed.

After awhile, she finally spoke. "I'm going to get some food; I'm starving! I'll bring something back for Deidara-san in case he wakes up."

Sasori nodded, and watched Aoi leave the room.

00000

Once Aoi exited her room, she quickly ran in the direction _opposite _of the kitchen. She _would _get food, but first, she had to get something off her chest. She looked around, making sure that Sasori—or any of the Akatsuki for that matter—weren't following her. Once she was sure no one was, she opened a door to a room. The weapons supply closet.

For being a closet, the room was surprisingly large. Once she saw exactly where the light switch was, she quietly shut the door and turned on the light. She looked around and saw exactly what she was looking for: a shelf filled with kunai. Her arms shaking, she pulled off the shirt she borrowed from Deidara, leaving herself in her bra and the low-cut tank top Konan had given her to wear over it. She dropped the shirt onto the floor and walked over to the shelf, standing on her tiptoes to pick up one of the kunai.

With tears filling her eyes, she brought the kunai up to the exposed part of her chest. _Maybe I can experience some of your pain, Deidara, _she thought. No matter what Sasori said, she blamed herself for everything that happened to the Iwa-nin. She wanted to punish herself for it, and decided that this was the best way.

She closed her eyes and slowly sank the tip of the kunai into her skin, drawing it across her chest until it almost hit the chakra device. She repeated this two more times, liking how the blood seeped from the cuts.

Unbeknownst to her, someone had entered the room, and had been watching her from the shadows.

Finally sensing that someone was in the room with her, she whirled around, only to be face-to-face (more like face to chest, since she was so short), with Hidan.

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The first thing that Hidan noticed was the cuts on her chest. "Normally, I'd be fucking overjoyed to find another masochist in this organization, but you're not doing this for religious purposes, are you?"

Aoi looked down.

"I know why you're doing this, and trust me, it won't make you fuckin' feel better. The only reason _I _do it is because I get pleasure from my pain. You don't," stated the Jashinist. "Blondie doesn't blame you; get that through your damned skull!"

"He might not, but _I _blame me!" said the brunette. "I just thought if I could feel some of his pain, I'd—"

The immortal held up a hand to cut her off. "You shouldn't do this to yourself, it's not healthy."

"Hypocrite," he heard her mutter.

"Fuck you; I'm immortal! And I didn't mean injuring yourself. If you keep thinkin' like that, you'll ruin your mind. How old are you again?"

"Eighteen," she murmured.

"Then start actin' like it! Damn, you're acting like you're fuckin' _thirty _or something, jeez!" The silver-haired man threw his arms over his head in exasperation, making Aoi flinch.

"What's the matter with you? I wasn't gonna hit you!" Hidan was confused.

"I know that, Hidan-san. You just startled me, waving your arms near my blind side." Aoi clapped a hand over her mouth. "Damn it!" she muttered.

_Blind side? What does she mean by that? _Hidan thought. After a moment, realization dawned on him. "You can't see out of that mechanical eye, can you?"

"Yeah," she murmured. "I just lost all my sight in it this morning."

"Did you tell your puppet boyfriend?"

She gasped. "How did you know?"

Hidan smirked. "Contrary to everyone's beliefs, I'm not fuckin' retarded. I knew you two were together after he got hysterical when Pein almost killed you. That wooden bastard never showed emotions so openly. It wasn't fuckin' difficult to figure that out."

Aoi nodded. "I never thought you were dumb. And no, I didn't want to worry Sasori, so I didn't tell him."

"Well you should," said Hidan.

"Why?" asked the brunette, tilting her head. "I can live with one eye."

"I know you can; it just won't be pleasant. Trust me, I fuckin' know. Once, I had one of my eyes ripped out, and my depth perception sucked so badly that I couldn't handle my scythe correctly. I kept missing the guy that I was supposed to kill. And this guy was fucking _slow_, too!"

"What can you do about it?" asked Aoi.

"I'll talk to my stitched bastard of a partner. I'll make him set up a surgery for you."

"You'd really do that?" she asked, her natural eye hopeful.

"Sure, kid. You're not half bad." The immortal genuinely smiled. He pulled out some squares of gauze bandages and some medical tape and expertly covered the cuts on her chest. "There ya go; don't want you fuckin' bleeding to death." He ruffled her hair. "Now let's get you back to your boyfriend; I bet he's starting to get worried."

Aoi nodded and grabbed her shirt, putting it back on over the tank top. "I need to get some food first; I told Sasori that I was getting some for myself and Deidara-san."

"Fine. I'll take you to the kitchen; I'm fucking hungry as well." The two then left the room together. _This girl is something else, _Hidan thought.

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And that's the end of Chapter Twenty-Three! I hope that Pein seems more human and less of a jerk than before.

Lol, Itachi. You know you love Deidara; you're just too nervous to admit it.

…Okay, Disney's Tarzan was my favorite movie when I was younger, so don't laugh about the song I made Aoi sing, lolz.

No, Aoi is not emo, she just had an emo moment, lolz.

I really hope Hidan didn't seem too OOC in this. I wanted to show that there was more to him than being vulgar, violent, and masochistic. It was really difficult for me to write his part because I didn't want to make him OOC. So tell me what you think, lolz.

The next chapter will timeskip.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	25. Chapter TwentyFour: Vengeance

Welcome to Chapter Twenty-Four! I am extremely sorry for the late update; I got distracted reading fanfiction yesterday, lolz. I'm also writing an original novel, so that's taking up my time as well. (So is my stupid AP Gov homework; I hate homework over winter break, grr).

This chapter will actually get the plot of this arc started, and the antagonists will be revealed. (Pein is not one of them, lolz).

This chapter will also timeskip a month, so Deidara will be acting more like his normal self. He is not completely healed, but he'll be less jumpy. It will focus on Aoi, Sasori, Deidara, and our mystery antagonist.

…On a random note, I took the 'Universal Mary-Sue Test' to see if Aoi was one. She scored a 15 on the test, meaning that she is not a Mary-Sue. I was so happy, and relieved; I worked really hard on making her character unique and enjoyable to read about.

Anywho, a big thank-you goes to everyone who reviewed and/or added this to their favorites/alerts lists! You are all awesome!

*Warning: This chapter contains language*

Nope, I don't own Naruto (I do however, own keychains of Deidara and Tobi).

Without further ado, Chapter Twenty-Four…

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-Chapter Twenty-Four: Vengeance-

Aoi awoke slowly, arching her back and rubbing her eyes. A tiny smile appeared on her face as she blinked both eyes. Hidan had kept his promise and somehow convinced Kakuzu to prepare a surgery for her. Later that week, she had gotten the mechanical eye removed and replaced with a real eye the Taki-nin had in his collection of limbs and organs. It was surprisingly the right color, and it matched her original eye perfectly. _Thank you, Stitchy, _she thought, using Hidan's nickname for the medic. She hadn't realized how much she took the simple gesture of blinking her eyes for granted until Orochimaru gave her the artificial eye.

At the thought of the sannin, Aoi shuddered. Throughout the last month, Deidara was healing, but the brunette knew that he wouldn't fully recover from what the snake had done to him. The bomber's healthy skin tone returned, as well as the sparkle in his eyes, but the fear of people getting close to him never really went away. He was still hesitant to be around Pein, but the pierced man generally ignored him. To Aoi, the month passed by quickly, with various members going on an assortment of small missions.

Aoi was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Deidara getting out of bed.

"Hey, Aoi-san, un," he called sleepily, yawning afterwards. He walked over to her cot and sat down on it.

"You know, I consider you to be my closest friend, so you can drop the honorific when talking to me." Aoi didn't know why she said that; it just came out.

The Iwa-nin looked surprised, but after a moment, he smiled. "Okay, Aoi." He paused. "That sounds so weird! I've never called anyone by just their name before, un."

"That's how people address each other in my country," explained Aoi.

Deidara nodded, looking intrigued. "How do you show respect to someone, then, un?"

Aoi knew how to answer this one. "Well, normally, you just call someone by their name. But if the person is significantly older than you, like say…a teacher, you add Mr., Ms., Miss, or Mrs. to their last name. Mr. is for men, Mrs. is for married women, Ms. is for unmarried women, and Miss is for young women. For example, in my world, you'd call Itachi 'Mr. Uchiha'. I'd be called 'Miss Coulter'."

At the mention of Itachi's name, Deidara wrinkled his nose. Aoi guessed that he was insulting the raven-haired man in his mind. _I know they're supposed to be rivals, _she thought, _but this is ridiculous. _Itachi _seems to act civilized around him. _She had also noticed that the Uchiha was acting…friendlier…than a normal person would be. _What's up with that? _She wasn't a big yaoi fan, but the image of Itachi and Deidara kissing made her blush.

"Thinking about Sasori-danna, un?" inquired Deidara, noticing her face changed color.

"Y-yeah," stuttered Aoi. She would never admit to the blonde what she was _really_ thinking. Shaking the thoughts of Deidara and Itachi from her head, she laid back down on her cot. _When did I get to be such a perv? _

She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she almost missed what Deidara said. "Do you love Danna, un?"

The brunette pondered this for a moment. She had never had a boyfriend before, and she had never been attracted to anyone besides the redhead. She knew that she would give her life to save him, and always wanted him to be happy. "Yes," she answered hesitantly. "I think I do. It's just that…this is the first relationship I've ever been in. Yeah." She looked down, embarrassed.

"Really? Well, that makes sense, I suppose, un."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Aoi narrowed her eyes.

"I didn't mean it as an insult!" The blonde shook his head. "It's just…you seemed to be really awkward around people when I first met you, un."

"Ah," Aoi's gaze softened. "You're right. I don't know why I'm like that; I just am. At least Sasori-san had a reason for why he turned himself into a puppet." She paused, unsure whether she should continue. She trusted Deidara, so she decided to keep talking. "When I first heard that he did that, I was…envious. Sounds grotesque, I know, but I was. I rarely showed emotions anyways; that was just my personality. I thought that feelings were worthless, and I wanted to get rid of them altogether. I was sick of keeping all my sadness locked inside of me, wondering what taunts the people at school would throw at me each day. I _wished _there was a way to make me unfeeling, but since there wasn't, I kept my face as expressionless as possible, wearing a mask of indifference at school and one of happiness at home."

Deidara looked at her. "That sounds completely miserable, to be honest. But I know how you felt, un." He held up his hands, letting her look at the mouths on his palms. "Because of these, my village hated me. I remember all my classmates said that they wanted me to die a painful death at least once, un."

Aoi's eyes started to water, and she rubbed at them quickly; she didn't want to cry in front of Deidara. _Aoi! Do not cry! That is weak, _she mentally shouted to herself.

"Don't hold back. That's not healthy, un," said the Iwa-nin, hesitantly placing a hand on her shoulder.

Suddenly, she didn't care about hiding her tears anymore. She buried her face in Deidara's shirt and sobbed. She cried for being shunned at school, being a disappointment to her parents, leading Orochimaru to Deidara, and everything else that ever went wrong in her life. She hadn't truly cried—besides after the incident with Madara—in years. It felt good just to let all her sadness out.

After awhile—she wasn't sure how long—she pulled away from Deidara's shirt. Her eyes felt puffy and sore from crying so much, and her head was pounding. "I'm going to go back to bed," she muttered, holding her head. "Wake me up when breakfast is ready." She flopped down onto her cot and closed her eyes. She felt the cot shift as Deidara got up, presumably to go back to his own bed. She tried to slow her breathing, and fell into a dreamless sleep.

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Sasori had heard everything, from how Aoi said she loved him to how she used to wish she could be a living puppet. He decided to talk to Deidara about this. "I heard everything," he said, sitting up and looking at the blonde.

Deidara looked at him, startled. "Then you heard that she…"

"Yes. I had no idea that her time in her world was so bad. From what Itachi-san told me, and from how she acted here, I thought that she was just ignored. I didn't know people taunted her. I still can't believe that she'd want to turn into…this." He gestured to himself.

"Are you regretting that, Sasori no danna, un?"

"No!" This was said sharper than he intended. "Why would I regret this? I'm _perfect_! This body will never age, and it can't physically feel pain. I am _art!" _

"Don't kid yourself, Danna. Aren't you worried what will happen if Aoi wants to, um…take the relationship to the next level, un?" Deidara blushed furiously.

"What about it? I am anatomically correct. It is possible, brat."

The blonde turned away and blushed even more, if that was possible. "Forget I asked," he mumbled.

Of course, Sasori had wondered about it, though. He wasn't a pervert by nature, and he wouldn't force Aoi to do anything she didn't want to do. Though he wasn't patient, he would wait. He was more interested in her intelligence and her mind than her body. _Not that there's anything wrong with it. _He wasn't a shallow person either; he wasn't in the relationship for only sex. He wanted the _companionship, _the thought of knowing that someone cared about him enough to want to be in a relationship with him. He was happy with how he and Aoi were currently, but he wouldn't object if she wanted to take it further.

He sighed as he thought about what he heard the brunette say. She sounded…sad, truly sad. He was ashamed that he didn't realize how horrible she was feeling until now. He felt a twinge of jealousy that she told everything to _Deidara_, but it passed. He knew that he didn't show that he was awake, and that his partner was right there.

"Earth to Danna, un!" Deidara called, waving his hands in front of his face, extra mouths getting dangerously close to his own.

"What do you want, brat?" he asked, half annoyed, half disgusted.

"You've been staring into space without blinking for awhile. It was unnerving, un!"

"I'm a puppet; what did you expect," Sasori answered annoyed.

Deidara looked shocked. "Did you just make a joke, un?

"I wasn't joking." But the redhead let a small smile appear on his face.

00000

_Danna _smiled_? That's so creepy, _thought Deidara. He dismissed the thought, and was about to continue talking when his stomach growled. Rather loudly. _Shit! That's embarrassing! _"Um, I'm going to get some food, un. I'll bring some back for Aoi."

He noticed Sasori looking at him strangely and realized he said her name without an honorific. "Oh, Aoi said that since we're friends, I didn't have to use an honorific, un."

The puppet master nodded slowly. "We're just friends, Sasori no danna." Deidara rolled his eyes. "No need to get possessive, un."

"Who said I'm getting possessive, brat?"

"The look on your face said it all, un. You really need to control your emotions better," explained Deidara. "Though it's expected that you'd be a control freak, considering you're a puppet master, un."

He was only joking around, but the look on Sasori's face showed that he must have struck a nerve.

"I'm going to go get breakfast now, un." He left the room, not wanting to get his partner even angrier.

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Sasori was angry. _Why does everyone think that? _Sure, he liked being the one pulling the strings, no pun intended, but was he really that bad? He remembered when Deidara was first assigned as his partner. He humiliated the blonde endlessly by making him do all the chores in the base, as part of his initiation. Being the stubborn seventeen-year-old he was, the blonde refused, and Sasori had stuck his chakra strings to him and forced him to finish all of them. At the time, it seemed funny, but now, with his newfound emotions, it just seemed cruel. _Damn it! He was right. _It was hard for Sasori to admit this, even in his thoughts. He really didn't like to be wrong. He sighed. _Everything's gotten so complicated. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to feel anymore. _On one hand, he somewhat liked being able to feel emotions again; he liked the way Aoi made him feel. On the other hand, there was a voice in the back of his head telling him that he was getting too soft.

He laid back down on his bed, hands weaving through his hair. _Things are complicated indeed…_

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It was dark in Orochimaru's base. The figure that sat in the sannin's office was furious. About a month before, he found out that the Akatsuki member known as Iwa no Deidara had killed Orochimaru. He also found out that he reason for this was that the golden-eyed man had raped the bomber, but the figure didn't care about that. No, he was only concerned with the fact that Orochimaru was dead, and that he couldn't absorb his power because one of those Akatsuki idiots burned the body. _Bastards! _Life at the base became even more annoying to him since Kabuto took over. _Idiot! He thinks he's more powerful than me! He thinks he can control me? He better watch out; I hate people like him! He's trying to be someone he's not! _He closed his eyes and took deep breaths. He had more important matters to think about. Like Deidara. Since the blonde had killed the figure's future source of extra power, he wanted revenge. And he was a very vengeful person. He knew that Pein, being the "smart" leader he thought he was, was going to send a group of Akatsuki members to destroy the rest of the base. He guessed that Deidara and the girl that he had tried to interrogate would be part of that party since they knew the base. _The redhead will probably go too, _he thought. Sasori was the only one he was worried about; the other two were weak in his eyes. He closed his eyes, and when he finally opened them, they were the eerie red of the Sharingan. _Deidara will pay for this. That stupid girl will too. I have plans for the both of them…_

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And that's the end of Chapter Twenty-Four!

I really didn't feel like writing another surgery, so I timeskipped a month, lolz.

…Yeah, awkward moments with Deidara and Sasori. When I reread this particular part (I bet all of you know which scene I'm talking about, lolz), I just laugh.

…Sasori, you know you're a control freak.

I bet all of you can guess who the mystery villain is. Don't hate me, lolz. It was either him or Kabuto, and I thought that Mr. I Want Revenge was more powerful than the Orochimaru wannabe (sorry, Kabuto).

I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I know this wasn't my best, but I was working on AP Gov homework while I was typing this, lolz.


	26. Chapter TwentyFive: Rage

Welcome to Chapter Twenty-Five! This is where the story gets action-y again! Expect blood, violence, and an angry Sasori! Yeah! (Sorry, I'm just really excited that I got to write an action-packed chapter!)

This chapter starts a day after the previous one ended. It will focus on Aoi, Sasori, and Deidara.

…I know Sasuke being the villain is so cliché, but as I said before, it was going to be either him or Kabuto, and it was easier for me to write the youngest Uchiha as the antagonist. (Just because at this point in time, I think that he's stronger than Kabuto).

Just as a warning, Sasuke acts really creepy in this chapter. (Nothing compared to Orochimaru *shudder*, but still). If my calculations are correct, he is fifteen when this story takes place, and he will definitely _not _be acting like his age. *Shiver*.

Anywho, I hope you all enjoy the chapter!

*Warning: This chapter contains language and violence*

Obviously, I don't own Naruto.

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-Chapter Twenty-Five: Rage-

"What did you want to see us about, Pein-sama?" asked Aoi. She, Deidara, and Sasori had been summoned to his room. _Damn it! Did he find out about my relationship with Sasori?_

However, this was not the case, for Pein explained, "Before I send Deidara-san and Sasori-san on the mission to capture One-Tail, we have some…unfinished business to take care of. Since Orochimaru is dead, there is no more use for his base." The pierced man didn't seem to notice Deidara stiffen at the sannin's name, but Aoi did. She gently grabbed his hand.

"We need to destroy the base," Pein continued. "We don't want that Kabuto guy to get any ideas. Or Itachi-san's younger brother, for that matter."

_That's right. _Aoi had almost forgotten that Sasuke was with Orochimaru. She remembered her interrogation with the youngest Uchiha and shuddered. Aloud, she asked, "Why am I here?"

"Because you need to start pulling your weight around here, if you must be a part of this organization," answered the Akatsuki leader. "Plus, you know a lot of the rooms in the base."

_Fair enough, _sighed Aoi.

"When do we leave?" asked Sasori.

"As soon as you pack your bags," answered Pein.

The redhead nodded.

"You're dismissed," barked the orange-haired man.

"Yes, Leader-sama!" The three stated, bowing simultaneously.

Once they packed their bags, the reality of where they were going sank into Aoi. "Are you okay with this, Deidara?" The blonde had told her to drop the honorific the day before.

"I'm…okay, un," he finally said. "He's not there anymore." His face brightened. "Plus, I get to blow something up, un!"

Once he said that, the mood lightened.

It took three days to get to the lair, and by the end of the journey, Aoi had just about had enough of sleeping outdoors. However, she liked how fresh the air was; she found that she could breathe better.

"We're there, un," Deidara whispered.

Sasori only nodded. He silently crept through the burnt half of the base. The bomber and Aoi followed after him, just as carefully.

"Pein told us to split up when we got to the main hallway so that I can be the distraction while you set off the bombs," stated Sasori. "I don't want Aoi to go off on her own, so she'll go with you, brat."

The blonde nodded. Aoi was relieved that she didn't have to wander around by herself.

She was broken out of her thoughts when Sasori summoned two of his puppets from scrolls. "You and Deidara go left. I'll go right."

"Fine. Just contact me on my headset when you want me to detonate the bombs, un."

"Very well. Let's go," the puppet master answered.

Aoi and Deidara nodded and set off in their separate directions.

After awhile of walking and planting bombs in various rooms, Aoi started to hear something that sounded like footsteps behind her. She dismissed it as being in her mind; Deidara was an S-Class shinobi and didn't seem to hear anything. She took the bomb that she was supposed to place in the next room and ran down the hallway. When she came to the room, which seemed to be a lab, she quickly ran into it; she wanted to plant the bomb and get the hell out of there.

However, as soon as she stuck the bomb to the wall, she heard the door slam and felt someone grab her neck. "Say a word and I won't hesitate to slit your throat," he hissed. Keeping the hand on her neck, he pulled her into the adjoining room and threw her on the ground, locking the door behind him and locking the main door as well. After that, he turned on the light, making Aoi wince at the sudden brightness. Her eyes widened as she recognized the figure. _Sasuke. _

She started to get up, only to be pushed back down to the floor. "You will tell me everything about Itachi, girl." He kneeled down to her level, grabbing the front of her shirt.

Aoi was aggravated; Sasuke had already violated her mind twice when he interrogated her the last time, and yet he still didn't believe her. _Stubborn bastard! _"I told you everything the first time!" she spat.

"Liar!" The youngest Uchiha slapped her. He then forced her to look into his eyes, which were now Sharingan-red.

Aoi found her head starting to hurt, and wanted to just give in to the interrogation. She knew that Sasuke wouldn't believe her, so she knew she had to think of a way to distract him from the interrogation. Without thinking, she let Sasuke enter a memory of a conversation that she had with Itachi a couple weeks before…

"_Itachi-san, I know why you massacred the Uchihas. I know the truth," she had said, sitting next to the raven-haired man in the library._

_"Hn," was the only answer._

_She wanted to show Itachi that he didn't have to keep everything bottled up inside; she knew that he must be hurting. She slowly put a hand on his shoulder. _

_He immediately stiffened, but after a moment, finally gave in and relaxed. "They don't understand," he finally said._

_"I know," Aoi answered. "And I'm sorry."_

_The Uchiha turned away. After what seemed like an eternity, he looked at Aoi once more. "Thank you," he whispered. "Thank you for knowing."_

_She knew that Itachi was glad that one more person knew the truth behind the Uchiha Massacre, glad that he didn't have to carry the burden alone. _

_He got up and returned the book he had tried to read to its shelf, then walking out of the library…_

Aoi found herself laying on the floor, staring up at Sasuke. "I get it now." His lips were curled into a sickening smirk. "You're in love with my bastard of a brother, aren't you?"

Though she was terrified, she wanted to laugh. Sasuke had misinterpreted her gesture of friendship.

"Answer the question!" Sasuke thundered, leaning down and shaking her harshly.

"No! We're only friends!"

"You're such a liar," he sneered, shaking his head. "Since I can't get anymore information out of you, I thought of a…better idea." He laughed; to Aoi, it was _not _a pretty sound. "This might lure Itachi to me." Aoi wasn't sure if this statement was directed at himself, or to her. He let go of her shoulders and continued. "I've been studying you; I've looked at all the papers Orochimaru wrote. It says that you have no chakra at all. This is an amazing find for me. Since chakra probably dominates whatever genetics your body has, it is likely that your offspring will have the Sharingan trait." He paused, stroking her face. She pushed his hand away, confused as to what was going on. Her heart jumped into her throat as the youngest Uchiha continued. "You are the perfect match for me, genetically speaking. You will help me rebuild the Uchiha clan."

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Deidara was starting to get alarmed. Aoi hadn't come back from planting the bombs she was supposed to, and it had been over five minutes. _It shouldn't take this long! _The blonde had a sinking feeling that something happened to his friend.

He walked into the first room Aoi was assigned to, noting that the bomb was secured to the wall. He was about to walk out when the door slammed shut, the lights suddenly turning on.

"Welcome back, Deidara," sneered a voice.

Deidara realized that it sounded like Itachi's and knew who it belonged to. "Uchiha Sasuke, un!" he spat.

"You killed Orochimaru, Deidara. That was a very bad idea."

Suddenly, he felt himself being knocked to the floor. He reached for his clay, only for both his arms to be grabbed and roughly pressed, palms up, at his sides. He realized that another Sasuke was kneeling on top of him as the other looked down at him, smirking. _A bunshin?_ He was snapped out of his thoughts as his arms were viciously moved perpendicular to his body. The original Sasuke pulled something out of the pouch that was attached to the back of his pants. _A needle and thread? Why? _

Deidara realized too late what was about to happen. He gasped in pain as the youngest Uchiha dug the needle into his palm, attempting to sew up the mouth on it. It was agonizing to the bomber; his palms were his weak spots when it came to pain. He found himself getting dizzy, and bit his lip to keep himself focused. Sasuke was sewing painfully slow, both figuratively and literally. He made sure to pull the thread as tight as it could be, just to cause more pain.

Once both palms were finished being sewed, Deidara's hands throbbed painfully. He felt weight being lifted from his chest and arms, and realized that the Sasuke bunshin had gotten off of him. He was about to get up to fight, even without being able to use his kekkei-genkai, he could still punch and kick, when both Sasukes attacked him with all they had. He tried not to scream as he felt multiple bones being broken, but failed. After one vicious kick to the head, the room span around, his vision darkening.

One of the Sasukes kneeled down to his level, whispering in his ear, "I want to kill you in person, so be lucky that your life is spared, at least for this moment." With that, both of Deidara's tormentors disappeared, leaving him in the room, alone.

_They were both bunshins? _he thought. The aching in his head got even greater, and he found that he gave into the blackness that now completely took over his vision. His head slumped to the floor, and his body went limp. He completely succumbed to the unconsciousness, sick of all the pain.

00000

"Yes," Sasuke hissed. "You are perfect for my plan."

"Do you know what you're saying? You're _fifteen years old_!" Aoi was shocked, angered, and most of all, disgusted.

"This wasn't a choice. You _will _carry my children, even if I have to beat you unconscious first! Nothing is more important than rebuilding my clan and exacting my revenge!"

"What would Sakura say if she heard that? Or Kakashi? Or _Naruto_?" Aoi was trying to say anything that would distract the youngest Uchiha. _He's gone completely insane! _

"I would ask how you know them, but Orochimaru told me that you knew everything about this world. To answer your question, I couldn't give a damn what those weak bastards think." He smiled evilly, his Sharingan eyes widened with madness. "And it's not because I'm attracted to you in any way. No, no, this is strictly business. If this doesn't get Itachi to come to me, I don't know what will!"

"For the last time, I am not in love with Itachi!" Aoi screamed. She wanted, no, _needed_, to talk Sasuke out of what he was planning on doing to her. "I'm in love with Sasori!" _Shit; I said too much!_

The youngest Uchiha smiled, pondering something. "That puppet bastard and the blonde freak are here too, are they not?" he chuckled, as if he thought of a funny joke. "I'll be killing three birds with one stone!"

Aoi realized with dread that he was now convinced even _more _than before, for some reason. Desperate, she ran to the door, trying to unlock it, knowing that it was futile; Sasuke had the key. In one final attempt to save herself, she cracked the knuckle on her left hand, revealing a dagger that stuck out of her palm. Sasori had equipped her puppet arm with this, just in case she needed to defend herself. However, it wasn't poisoned; the redhead didn't want her to accidentally hurt herself.

Letting out a feral scream, she ran at Sasuke, slashing the dagger across his face. She watched in fascination as the blood flowed from the cut she just gave him. It seemed to be shallow, but it went diagonally from under his right eye to the bottom of the left side of his lip.

"You'll pay for that, you bitch!" he snarled, kicking her to the floor. He unsheathed his sword and stabbed it through her right hand, pinning it to the floor. "You're going to wish you'd never been born!"

She slashed at his ankles with her dagger-equipped arm, and he reached down, yanking it from the compartment. Without stopping, he stomped a foot down on her chest, breaking several ribs. He roughly ripped the first part of her shirt off, leaving the mesh undershirt and her bra intact. "I want to see you bleed!" he hissed, dragging the dagger he stole from her across her chest, purposely reopening the scars on it.

Though Aoi could feel the pain, her senses were slowly dulling, and darkness started to take over her vision. _Yes, I just want to sleep, _she thought dizzily, her eyes closing. She knew that she had to stay awake, but the pain was too great. Her eyes snapped shut, and remained that way. But not before she heard someone kick down the door, and felt Sasuke slam something made of glass onto her, making her cry out in pain before she passed out.

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Sasori knew something was terribly wrong when his partner wouldn't respond to his signals. So he ran back down the hallway he assigned Deidara and Aoi, alarmed that neither of them was in sight.

Suddenly, he heard a noise that sounded like a girl screaming and knew it was Aoi. She screamed again, and this time Sasori heard loud and clear exactly what room she was in. He heard a thump and the sound of glass breaking just as he kicked the door in, shattering it.

He found Aoi, lying on the floor, apparently unconscious, with cuts all over her body, some with glass splinters sticking out of them. A sword pinned her right hand to the floor, making him clench his teeth in rage. He knew exactly who caused this, and it wasn't Kabuto. _Where is Sasuke? That bastard is going to pay for this!_

He whirled around, sensing movement, and saw a sneering Sasuke standing in front of him. "So, this bitch's _lover _finally shows up. I have a…proposition…for you." He laughed. "Who do you love more? Your freak of a partner, or this piece of shit?"

"Where's Deidara?" Sasori snarled, looking around the room.

"He's…not available at the moment. But he's alive. For now."

"What the hell did you do to him?" The redhead was about to lunge at the youngest Uchiha, but stopped as he saw his foot being brought over Aoi's chest.

"You need to control your temper, _Sasori no danna_, or someone will get hurt."

The puppeteer moved back into his original position, sickened that Sasuke had used Deidara's nickname for him.

"What is your decision? Deidara…or Aoi?"

Sasori closed his eyes, all his emotions running through him at once. Rage, fear, helplessness. This was a choice that was impossible for him to make.

Sasuke added to his dread by taunting, "If you choose the blonde, I will forgive him for killing Orochimaru, but Aoi will help me rebuild my clan."

The puppet master knew right away what he was referring to, and was truly sickened. _Orochimaru really messed up his head! This kid's fifteen, and he's talking about things like _that?

The Uchiha continued, "If you choose the girl, I will leave her alone, but your freak of a partner will suffer tremendously before I finally put him out of his misery. It's up to you. But believe me, one of them will suffer."

Sasori unconsciously put a hand to the compartment that held his heart. _Orochimaru taught him well, I see. _After a few more moments of deliberation, he slowly opened his eyes. He had made his decision. "I have made my choice Sasuke."

"So, who's it gonna be?" smirked the ex-Konoha-nin, licking his lips.

"Neither," answered the redhead, eyes hardening. "I want to fight you. If I win, you let both of them go free."

"I was hoping you'd abandon one of them, but I see you're too _smart _for that," said Sasuke, tilting his head. "Very well, I accept your challenge. But if _I _win, you take me to Itachi." He carelessly pulled his sword from Aoi's hand, making her moan in pain. "Let's go, then."

Sasori summoned a few puppets and then ran outside into the hallway. He needed more room to fight. _If I kill him, forgive me, Itachi, _he thought. Then, the battle began.

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And that's the end of Chapter Twenty-Five! I hope this makes up for the not-so-actiony chapter before this one.

…Ouch, what happened to Deidara's palms sounds painful. Besides your palms being the most sensitive part of your hand, lips are also the most sensitive part of your face, besides your nose. Combining the two is just…yikes. (I should know, I accidentally sliced one of my palms open last year while working on a project in art class, and I could barely move my hand without it hurting for a week. Moral of the story: art class can be dangerous, lolz!)

…Lol, Sasuke thought Aoi was in love with Itachi. I found that amusing.

Speaking of Mr. "I Want Revenge", I hope I didn't make him too OOC. I wanted to show that he has become slightly unstable because of his quest for revenge, and how he's a strategic genius (Not as smart as Shikamaru though, lolz).

I also wanted to give Sasori a dilemma that would be extremely difficult to overcome. (Blame the Dark Knight for that idea; I was inspired by the scene in the movie where Batman has to choose either Rachel or Harvey Dent to rescue.)

…There's a huge battle scene in the next chapter! I'm excited to write it! Plus, there's going to be a part about Kabuto. (I actually enjoy writing about him, lolz).

Sasuke smashed a glass counter-top on top of Aoi. I realized I didn't make that clear in the chapter. Oops, lol.

I hope all of you enjoyed the chapter! Have a happy new year, everyone!


	27. Chapter TwentySix: Madness

Welcome to Chapter Twenty-Six! This is the one that everyone's been waiting for; a big part of the chapter is the fight between Sasori and Sasuke.

This is the first battle scene I've ever written, so please don't think it's too awful. Fight scenes are hard for me to write, and I redid this so many times. (I still don't think it's that great, though.)

This chapter begins where the previous one left off. It will focus on Sasori (of course; he's pretty much the star of this chapter, lolz) and Kabuto (Yay, Harry Potter's in this chapter! XD I love 'Naruto Abridged', lol)

Many thanks go to everyone who reviewed!

…This is page 204 in Microsoft Word! I can't believe I wrote that many pages!

I don't own Naruto, and never will. *sigh*

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Chapter Twenty-Six: Madness

Kabuto was walking down the hallway to his office when he saw that one of the lab's doors was closed. Since he had a slight case of OCD, the bespectacled man rolled his eyes in annoyance and went to open it. His eyebrows furrowed together when he found that it was locked. Grimacing, he took the master key he owned out of his pocket and quickly unlocked it.

Having extremely sensitive hearing—one had to always be on guard at Orochimaru's base—he heard the distinct sound of a person breathing, though it was faint. For once, Kabuto's curiosity was more powerful than his rational side, and he found himself stepping into the room and turning on the light to see who was locked in it.

The first thing he noticed was that the person was blonde, and wearing an Akatsuki cloak. The medic-nin's eyes narrowed as he realized who this person was. _Iwa no Deidara, _he thought. _Orochimaru's…victim. _He kneeled down, his hand glowing green. _I'll put you out of your misery before the Uchiha brat tortures you any more. _He knew that Sasuke had given the blonde all his injuries. Kabuto narrowed his eyes even more, the skin below his eyes brushing up against the cold metal of his glasses. He was planning on killing Deidara in retaliation for killing Orochimaru. He brought his glowing hand to the bomber's chest. _Don't worry, child, I'll make this as quick as possible. _Despite Kabuto being only four years older, he considered everyone younger than twenty to be a child. His hand faltered as he thought of a better idea. He was tired of Sasuke thinking that he was the best thing put on the Earth. He didn't want anything to do with the Akatsuki; he'd leave them alone so he could continue Orochimaru's work without being disturbed. But the raven-haired boy was so obsessed with vengeance that all he thought of was getting rid of the whole Akatsuki so that he could fight and kill his older brother, who was a member. _I'll let you live, Deidara. I want you to kill Sasuke for me. _

Before he healed Deidara, he assessed his injuries. _Let's see, _he counted, _both legs and arms are broken, shattered jaw and nose. _He stopped, placing a hand on the blonde's head, feeling it. _Looks like he was kicked pretty hard in the head. _He glanced down at the bomber's chest and felt that as well. _Hmm, some broken ribs, but none seem to have punctured lungs or other organs. That's lucky. _He glanced down at the Iwa-nin's belt, seeing that he still had his pouches of clay attached to it. _You had your weapons, child; why didn't you defend yourself?_ On instinct, he grabbed one of Deidara's hands and flipped it over; he knew of the blonde's kekkei-genkai. His eyes widened as he saw the mouth on it had been sewed up, making the bomber's entire hand swollen. _Typical Sasuke, _hethought. He knew that the youngest Uchiha had picked up Orochimaru's cruel and sadistic nature. Kabuto knew that he himself had inherited the sannin's scientific curiosity, but he didn't go out of his way to hurt others. Even with his human experiments, he would always sedate them first before testing them.

He checked Deidara's other hand and sure enough, it was sewed up as well. Sighing and shaking his head, Kabuto decided that he was ready to begin. He healed the bomber's face first, seeing that the breaks were clean and easy to heal. Next were the ribs; they were also fairly easy to repair. The blonde's arms and legs were harder to heal because they were broken in multiple places. As well as this, there was a piece of bone poking out of the Iwa-nin's left arm. The area around it looked puffy and painful, and was slowly oozing blood. Kabuto grimaced. _Sasuke really did a number on you, didn't he?_

After the silver-haired man had finally finished, he remembered what had happened to Deidara's palms. Reaching into the medical kit he always strapped to the back of his pants, he pulled out a tiny pair of scissors. Trying to be as gentle as possible, he cut the threads that sewed the extra mouths shut, softly pulling them from the blonde's palms. The mouths opened and closed, seemingly happy that they were free.

Kabuto thought of waking Deidara up, but decided against it; he wanted the bomber to recover as much as possible, and sleep sped up the healing process.

He was about to walk out of the room when a fireball whizzed past the door, the sweltering heat of it making Kabuto sweat. _What the hell is going on? _He looked outside quickly, and saw that Sasuke was fighting the redhead of the Akatsuki. _Sasori. _Not wanting to get in the middle of their fight, the medic-nin quickly closed the door behind him, leaning against the wall. _Hopefully Sasori will kill that brat, _he thought.

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After Sasuke had agreed to fight, something in Sasori just snapped. The two people he loved most in the world were suffering, and it was all because of the younger Uchiha. As he thought of what the raven-haired boy was planning on doing to Aoi, he ground his teeth in rage. _I don't care if you're Itachi's younger brother! You're dead! _With that, he sent two of the four puppets he had summoned at Sasuke, their sharpened blades dripping with poison. _Just one cut; that's all I need for the poison to do its job. _

Sasuke dexterously dodged the puppets, making the hand signs for one of the Uchiha clan's signature jutsus. The redhead pulled his creations away just in time, the fireball whipping past them, burning the wall. Sasori noticed his old subordinate Yakushi Kabuto duck into a room, presumably to avoid the fight. He ignored the silver-haired medic and sent the third of his puppets, coincidentally the Third Kazekage, at Sasuke. It floated above the youngest Uchiha, the Satetsu pouring from its mouth. The magnetic sand formed into spikes, each one hanging over the Konoha-nin.

"You know, I can't miss, Uchiha; the sand is also soaked in poison," Sasori stated coldly. "If you want me to spare your life, give up now; I've won."

Sasuke only smirked, and the puppeteer took that as a 'no'. Happy to put an end to the raven-haired boy's life, he moved a finger, sending the sand hurtling down at a killing speed.

The floor cracked from the force of the sand hitting it, the dust rising from it obscuring Sasori's view. He waited until it cleared before he even thought of stepping closer; he knew that Sasuke was not a stupid boy, and figured that he wasn't dead yet. This assumption was correct as the youngest Uchiha lunged at one of the puppets—thankfully not the Third—and sliced its head off with his sword.

_Damn it! _Sasori cursed. But he knew sacrifices had to be made. Now that he knew the younger boy's position, it would be easier to strike. He removed his chakra strings from the broken puppet and focused solely on watching Sasuke's movements, mimicking them with the Third Kazekage.

Said Uchiha chuckled as he formed multiple hand signs. "Chidori!" he called, holding what looked to be lightning in his hand. Sasori smirked. As long as his heart didn't get hit, attacks like that were useless against him. _Idiot. I could easily dodge that. _

However, Sasori was confused when instead of sending the Chidori at him, Sasuke kicked open the door to the room Kabuto was in. When he ran out of it, the redhead's heart sank: Sasuke dragged a semiconscious Deidara by his hair with his free hand. "You can stop this fight now and save him," the Uchiha smirked. "Or you can try to kill me right now, while I'm vulnerable. But I'll send this Chidori straight through his heart before you can even attack. It's up to you." The raven-haired boy brought the ball of lightning so close to the blonde that it singed the bangs that covered his left eye.

_Shit! _Sasori couldn't use any more of his puppets' hidden mechanisms. Sasuke was right; he would be able to kill his partner faster than the redhead could send a puppet after the Uchiha.

He looked at Deidara to think, and that's when he noticed something Sasuke overlooked. The puppeteer smirked, and pulled back his creations, storing them back in their scrolls so they wouldn't get damaged.

"So, I presume you give up?" Sasuke made the Chidori disappear, though his hand was still tangled in Deidara's hair. "You'll take me to Itachi?" He spat the name out venomously.

"Not quite," Sasori stated. He nodded, and then ran behind a door, looking at the Konoha-nin.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Sasori?" yelled Sasuke. While he was so focused, he didn't notice until too late that his captive—who was very much awake—stuck a clay spider to his arm. Twisting out of Sasuke's grasp, Deidara made a hand sign. He threw himself to the floor, covering his head with his arms, as he said his signature, "Katsu!"

The spider exploded, sending blood and debris throughout the room. As the smoke from the blast cleared, Sasori saw that Sasuke was kneeling on the floor, missing an arm. Alarm shot through the puppet master as he realized that the Uchiha was still alive. Before he could warn his partner, Sasuke used his remaining arm to grab the blonde's hair once more.

Deidara struggled at first, but as Sasuke pulled him closer, his movements got more sluggish. _Probably because he's still weak from whatever the bastard did to him the first time, _thought the redhead.

"You're going to pay for that!" Sasuke rasped, his Sharingan activated. With one final tug, he forced the blonde to look at him. Grinning with madness, he continued. "I might not be able to create a nightmare for you, but I know you've already gone through one in reality. Prepare to experience it once more, repeatedly!"

Deidara closed his eyes, but Sasuke used one of his feet to press down on the Iwa-nin's outstretched hand. The bomber opened his eyes reflexively as he felt pain, and the raven-haired boy exploited that. Once he was trapped in the illusion, he started to thrash around and scream. Sasuke chuckled, the mad grin still on his face. "You're such a baby, _Deidara-kun_; I've never met anyone who screams in reality when they're trapped in the Sharingan's illusion before. It's pathetic!" With that, he spat at the blonde and let go of his hair, dropping him on his back on the floor. "You killed my source of power!" he roared. "Now you're going to die!" He placed a foot on Deidara's throat and started to put pressure on it, sneering as he started to gasp for air.

Sasori couldn't stand to just watch anymore. As Sasuke started to kill his partner, the redhead knew he was clearly distracted. He drew a kunai from his weapons pouch and unraveled the coil of metal rope that replaced his stomach.

Snarling, he ran at the youngest Uchiha, and in one motion, pushed him off of Deidara while simultaneously wrapping the rope around him. Sasuke tried to squirm away, but it was futile. "This is for what you did to Deidara and Aoi, you sadistic bastard," the puppeteer whispered, his voice dangerously menacing. With that, he sunk the kunai he held deep into Sasuke's chest.

The Uchiha's eyes went wide, and he started to cough up blood. Sasori uncoiled the rope from around him, carelessly dropping him to the floor. He then walked over to his partner, who was silently screaming, tears streaming down his face, and gently picked him up.

"K-Kabuto!" Sasuke rasped, more blood flowing from his mouth. "Help me!"

Sasori noticed that Kabuto had left the room he was in and kneeled down to Sasuke. The bespectacled man's hand glowed green, and his mouth curled into a smile. "No." He then slammed his hand onto the youngest Uchiha's chest. The boy's eyes grew wide, the Sharingan fading from them. Once they returned to their normal dark gray color, all life drained from them. Uchiha Sasuke was dead.

Walking back to Sasori, Kabuto stated, "Take everyone you brought with you and leave. If you do not destroy the base, I promise to leave the Akatsuki alone. I have nothing against you, and I never will if you leave me alone as well. I will not interfere with your goals."

The redhead nodded. "Fair enough. But if you betray us, you'll be dead. Our leader _hates _traitors."

Kabuto bowed his head. "Goodbye, Akasuna. I hope we never meet again."

"I agree. Goodbye, Yakushi." Sasori noticed that Deidara had become silent. He was conscious, but his eyes were unfocused. _What did that bastard make you see? _He recalled what Sasuke had said before sending him into the illusion, and his eyes narrowed in realization. _He made you relive that night with Orochimaru, didn't he. _The puppet master unconsciously held the blonde closer to him.

He walked back into the room where Aoi was lying on the floor, still unconscious. After bandaged up the puncture wound on her hand and removed all the glass splinters from her skin, he realized that he had a problem; he had two people, one unconscious and one semiconscious, who wouldn't be able to move on their own. _How the hell am I supposed to carry _both _of them? _Sasori wondered. He didn't want to be at this base any longer, but it was impossible for him to leave until one of them woke up.

The redhead sensed someone entering the room and tensed, standing in front of Deidara and Aoi. He relaxed when he saw the man wore an Akatsuki cloak. "Do you need a hand?" he asked. "Pein sent me just in case something went wrong."

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Lol, a cliffhanger! Sorry about that; I just thought it would be good to end the chapter at that point! XD

Yay, Kabuto! Before he ate Orochimaru's remains, I actually liked him.

…I hope the fight scene wasn't terrible. Like I said before, it was my first time writing one, and after rewriting this chapter three times, I still don't think the battle was very good.

Lol, I just realized how much I messed up the _Naruto _storyline by killing off Sasuke! XD

Who is the mystery Akatsuki member that followed them? I know, but I'm not telling you until the next chapter, lolz.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	28. Chapter TwentySeven: Inner Turmoil

Welcome to Chapter Twenty-Seven! All of you had awesome guesses as to who the mystery Akatsuki member was! A lot of you got it right! (There are actually two people; only one of them spoke, lolz).

Just to let everyone know, I will be updating every other day, or every two days from now on because I am starting my AP Government and Politics class tomorrow and will be having more homework than last semester.

Since the last chapter was pretty much all action, this one will seem really boring. It will focus a lot on Itachi, and will be heavy on his thoughts. My reason for this is because his brother, a person who he truly cared about, was just killed, and though he won't show it, he will be grieving, if only in his mind. (Wow! That was a really long sentence!)

This chapter will focus on Itachi and Sasori.

*This chapter will start the ItaDei, for anyone who was wondering when the heck it would begin. It will be moving very, very slowly, so don't expect anything serious. This isn't even the actual beginning of the relationship; that will start later. When it does, I'm just letting everyone know that it will be very tasteful: kisses only. Just saying.

Anyways, I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed! You're all awesome!

Nope, I don't own Naruto.

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Chapter Twenty-Seven: Inner Turmoil

"_Did you really think it was a good idea to send those three to Orochimaru's base at this moment?" asked Itachi. It was just after Deidara, Sasori, and Aoi left to go on their mission. The middle Uchiha had an uncomfortable feeling in his stomach for some reason. _

_"Deidara-san is stronger than he was a month ago. He'll be fine. Sasori-san and Aoi-san are with him as well," Pein replied, trying to reassure the Uchiha._

_"I know. I'm just worried about him," stated Itachi. _

_The orange-haired man caught on to what—no, who—Itachi was referring to. "Do you mean Deidara-san, or your _brother_?" _

_Itachi stifled a gasp. "I don't know what you're talking about."_

_"Don't lie to me." The pierced man's voice was cold, but his Rinnegan eyes looked surprisingly…understanding. "I know you're worried about Sasuke. But don't be. Whatever happens will be his destiny. Don't forget he went with Orochimaru willingly. He is not the same brother you once knew."_

_"I understand, Leader-sama." Itachi bowed his head. That didn't make him any happier, though. His dark gray eyes snapped open as he thought of an idea. "Let me go after them, just to make sure they're safe."_

_"I don't think that is a good idea, Itachi-san; you don't want to have a premature conflict with your brother."_

_"I won't go alone. Let me take Zetsu-san with me; he's an expert at stealth missions," Itachi persisted. "I won't let myself be seen unless I absolutely have to."_

_Pein closed his eyes, opening them after a moment of consideration. "Fine," he finally said. "Take Zetsu-san with you. But I don't want you to be sensed by Sasori, Deidara, and Aoi, so take a different route. And by _no circumstances _should you interfere with anything. Is that clear?"_

_"Yes, Pein-sama. Thank you." With that, the raven-haired man bowed once more and left the room to pack his bag and find the plant-man._

Three days had passed since then, and Itachi and Zetsu had finally made it to Orochimaru's base. The route they took was a roundabout way, so the raven-haired man presumed that the first three members Pein sent were already there.

When they walked inside, the base was oddly quiet for one that was still active. Not a single scientist or Oto-nin was seen. _Something's wrong, _thought Itachi, tensing. He noticed that Zetsu did the same.

Suddenly, the bi-colored man stopped, luminous golden eyes narrowing, and sniffed the air. "I smell blood," his light side explained. **"It smells absolutely delicious!" **His darker side licked his lips.

Itachi ignored the plant-man when he saw movement out of the corner of his Sharingan-activated eyes. Despite Zetsu's objection, he walked into the room he saw the movement coming from.

Fortunately, the light was on, so he didn't have to get used to the darkness. The Uchiha looked around to see Sasori kneeling on the ground, looking at a semiconscious Deidara and an unconscious Aoi. The puppet master seemed irritated and, abnormally, nervous. _What happened? _Itachi thought.

Sasori stood up and turned around, knowing that someone else was in the room. He relaxed when he saw Itachi, and the raven-haired man knew that was his cue to start explaining. "Do you need a hand? Pein sent me just in case something went wrong. Zetsu-san is here too." He nodded as the amber-eyed man entered the room.

"Yes." Sasori didn't ask any questions. "Would you carry Deidara? His mind isn't functioning properly at the moment. I believe it's a side-effect of the Sharingan. His eyes widened as he realized his slip-up.

Itachi had the bomber in his arms when he heard Sasori say this. "You ran into Sasuke." It was a statement, not a question.

The redhead closed his eyes, almost as if he was trying to work out what he was going to say. "Yes," he finally spat out, opening his eyes. "But he's dead now."

Itachi's heart jumped into his chest, and he unconsciously grabbed Deidara harder.

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Once Sasori saw the Uchiha's expression, he realized he should have been more tactful.

"Sasuke is dead?" Itachi asked, his eyes narrowing and his voice dripping venom. "Who killed him?" With each word, the redhead noticed that the raven-haired man grabbed Deidara's exposed arms harder, digging his nails into his skin until it broke, blood dripping down his arm in stark contrast to his now-pale skin.

"Stop that!" Sasori barked. "It was either fight him or let those two suffer! I had no choice!"

Without letting go of the Iwa-nin, Itachi retorted, "No choice? Why didn't you just talk to him?"

"Uchiha!" Sasori spat. "I don't know how the hell your brother acted before the massacre, but when we fought him, he was totally insane! He said he was going to use Aoi to 'revive the Uchiha clan'! What kind of fifteen year old thinks like that? And I don't know what he did to Deidara besides sending him into an illusion, but I'm pretty sure he tortured him as well. Uchiha?" The puppeteer's eyes widened as Itachi dropped Deidara to the ground.

"Who. Killed. Him?"

"All of us did!" the redhead exploded, furious. "Deidara blew his arm off, I stabbed him, and Kabuto finished him off! Happy now?"

The raven-haired man looked like he was going to send someone into the Tsukuyomi, and Sasori realized he went too far. "I'm…sorry, Itachi-san," he apologized. "But it was either him or us, and I couldn't let them die."

Itachi sank to the ground, his hands clenched into fists. When he looked up, the puppet master saw that he was biting his lip so hard that it bled. And he saw the most…peculiar expression on the younger man's face. His Sharingan had deactivated, and his eyes were…watering. Sasori realized that Itachi Uchiha, the man who was famous for being as stoic as a statue, was _crying_.

"Er, I need to speak with Zetsu-san for a moment," said the redhead, feeling very awkward. Zetsu, understanding the meaning behind those words, grunted, and left the room with the puppeteer, who shut the door behind him.

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After Zetsu and Sasori left, Itachi let all his emotions out. Tears ran down his face, the salt in them stinging his eyes as they left them. _Sasuke, my younger brother, _he thought. _It wasn't supposed to end this way! _You _were supposed to live. _The middle Uchiha bit his lip once more to stop the tears from falling, but it didn't work.

Despite the tears marring his already failing vision, the raven-haired man sensed that someone was moving. _Deidara, _he realized.

"Huh, why are you crying, Uchiha, un?" the blonde asked, his eyes unfocused. Itachi realized that his voice also sounded off; he was speaking slower than usual.

Suddenly, the middle Uchiha just snapped. Before he realized he was doing, he whirled around and punched the bomber as hard as he could in the jaw, the force of it snapping his head back. But Itachi didn't care. He grabbed the front of the Iwa-nin's cloak, hissing, "This is all _your _fault! If you didn't kill Orochimaru, none of this would have happened!" He violently shook the younger man's shoulders.

Deep down, Itachi knew he was wrong, but the anger and grief he was feeling at the moment clouded his normally rational judgment.

He stopped only when he felt something slimy on his hand. He looked down and noticed that one of Deidara's hands grabbed one of his own. "I-I'm sorry, Uchiha, un," he slurred. "I know what it's like to lose someone you care about. If it makes you feel any better, hit me. Do whatever you want."

As the blonde stated this, all of Itachi's anger disappeared, bewilderment taking its place. "Are you some sort of masochist? You _want _me to hit you? What's the matter with you?"

"No," whispered Deidara. "I just know that you want to vent all your anger out at something or someone, and I'm the closest person to you in this room, un."

The raven-haired man's eyes widened at this. _Why is he being so selfless? He hates me! _Without thinking, he grabbed the blonde's chin gently. Deidara closed his eyes and flinched, waiting for another punch. _He's really going to let me hit him? _Suddenly, a thought as fleeting as the bomber's art crossed his mind, and instead of pushing it away like he usually did, he let himself act on it.

He leaned in and softly pressed his lips onto Deidara's. The blonde stiffened, but Itachi didn't move his position. After a moment, the Iwa-nin hesitantly returned it. It wasn't graceful by any means, but the Uchiha figured it was because he never kissed anyone—without being forced to—in a long time.

After awhile Itachi ended it, letting go of Deidara's chin. _What the hell did I just do?_

He was broken out of his thoughts when he felt the bomber tap him on the shoulder. "Your lips are very soft, Uchiha, un." He smiled, but Itachi knew there was something wrong. He caught the younger man as he fell. Feeling the back of his head, the Uchiha realized that one side of it was a bit swollen. _He probably has a concussion. _

Knowing that head injuries were serious, he opened the door, beckoning Sasori and Zetsu back inside. "There's something wrong with him; I think he has a concussion."

"Let me see," ordered the redhead. He repeated what Itachi just did. "I believe you are right, Itachi-san," he finally said. "I think I can make the swelling go down, but Kakuzu-san will have to do the rest." He made one of his hands glow green, pressing it against the swollen side of the Iwa-nin's head. He cried out, though he remained unconscious, and Sasori narrowed his eyes in concentration. After he was finally finished, he stated, "He is by no means healed, but the injury won't get any worse."

Itachi nodded, relieved.

"Can we get **the hell out **of here?" Zetsu asked.

"Yes," replied Sasori. "Would you mind carrying Aoi?"

"I don't think that's such a good idea, Sasori-san," stated Zetsu.

"And why not? You're stronger than me," retorted the puppet master.

"She smells like blood," explained the bi-colored man. "**It's really intoxicating. **I don't want to do something I'll regret. **Like eat her limbs."**

"Point taken. I'll carry her." Sasori wrinkled his nose. He picked up the brunette bridal style. Itachi did the same thing with Deidara, and those two left the room, followed by Zetsu, who looked behind them.

Once they were outside the base, the plant-man asked, "Aren't you going to destroy it?"

"I made a deal with Yakushi Kabuto," explained Sasori. "He was an old subordinate of mine. He promised to leave the Akatsuki alone if we left his base intact. He wants to continue Orochimaru's experiments."

**"I don't give a damn, **but you're the one who's going to tell Leader-sama."

"Fine with me." The redhead shrugged his shoulders.

The three of them had been walking for awhile when night fell. Deidara finally woke up after Sasori, Itachi, and Zetsu had set up camp for the night.

"I smell the fresh air. Does that mean we left the base, un?" he asked. Itachi noticed that his speech was back to normal.

"Yes, we left the base hours ago," Itachi said gently.

The blonde rubbed his head. "I feel like crap, un. What happened after Sasuke tried to kill me?"

Itachi's eyes widened. _So he doesn't remember that we…_He wasn't sure whether to be relieved or saddened. The second option won the mental debate. _He might not remember, but _I _do. _He stopped denying what he had known for a long time, and decided to face the facts: he had fallen for Iwa no Deidara.

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And that's the end of Chapter Twenty-Seven. I know it was boring, but I wanted to capture what Itachi was feeling.

…I know Itachi crying is totally OOC, but his little brother just died. Sasuke was pretty much the only person he actually cared about; he pretty much let Sasuke kill him in the manga. So I hope he was _realistically _OOC.

…Sasori lacks tact. He's a friggen puppet who just got emotions back. Of course he won't know how to respond to Itachi's questions sympathetically. (If Sasori ever really did get emotions back, I always pictured he'd be like Sai when he was first introduced. Minus calling people 'dickless' and 'hag', lolz).

…Yay! ItaDei! (That was an unintentional rhyme XD)

I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	29. Chapter TwentyEight: Cold

Welcome to Chapter Twenty-Eight! This one starts a new story arc. This one will only be a couple of chapters long, and it will be more drama than adventure. It serves as a bridge between the last arc and the one after this one, but the information will move the plot of the story along. It will mostly focus on Itachi's and Deidara's growing feelings for each other, and the reactions of Aoi and various Akatsuki members.

This chapter focuses on Itachi, Deidara, and Aoi.

Many thanks go to everyone who reviewed!

Nope, I don't own Naruto.

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Chapter Twenty-Eight: Cold

Aoi was cold all over. However, she didn't want to wake up from the blackness that enveloped her mind. Here there were no emotions, no dangers, no people that would hurt her. She felt safe wrapped up in her own mind; she didn't feel the pain of her injuries or the fear that Sasuke brought upon her. Sasori was not there, and she felt a pang of loneliness, but quickly brushed it aside. She wanted, no, needed, to be by herself at this point. She needed to sort through all her thoughts, and she needed to do it alone.

Suddenly, she felt the blackness disappearing, and she thought, _Wait! I don't want to leave yet! I can't! _She resisted the brightness that was taking over, forcing herself back into the black state. She only relaxed when she felt the darkness wrap itself around her once more. _I can stay here for awhile, _she thought lazily. _I'll wake up in a little bit…_

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"Sasori no danna, what's up with Aoi, un?" Deidara asked. He had seen her stir, as though she was going to wake up, only to fall unconscious once more. He gripped the brunette's hand tightly in his own. His half-lidded eyes snapped open in alarm when he realized how cold it was. "Her hand's freezing!"

"She's always colder than normal; she became like that ever since the chakra device was implanted," Sasori answered.

"I know that! She's even colder than she usually is, un. I know something's wrong with her!" the blonde persisted.

The puppet master walked over to where Aoi was laying on the ground. "If it'll make you feel better, Deidara, I'll look at her." He kneeled down and checked her pulse, looking alarmed. "Her pulse is fine, but you're right; she's abnormally cold." He looked at Deidara. "Hold her, to warm her up. I don't want her to freeze to death!"

The bomber looked down, and realized that Aoi was only wearing a ripped pair of Akatsuki pants, a bra, and a mesh shirt. He was hesitant about picking her up with so little clothing on, but he didn't want her to get any colder. He gently picked her up and hugged her close to him. When he did this, she let out a small squeak of pain, and Deidara realized that her chest was bruised and swollen. "I think that some of her ribs are broken, un."

"My chakra is low because of the battle and fixing your concussion. I don't think I'll be able to heal her properly. I was only able to heal the cuts on her chest. The rest will have to wait until we get back to the base," said Sasori. "Just be gentle when holding her; I don't want the wounds getting aggravated any more."

Deidara nodded. As he stroked the girl's hair, he realized that his romantic attraction to her had faded. He still loved her, very deeply, but only as a friend, and nothing more.

After awhile, Sasori and Zetsu had gone to sleep, leaving the Iwa-nin and Itachi to keep watch for the rest of the night. The Uchiha was really the only one watching for danger; Deidara was too focused on Aoi.

As her breathing started to slow, the blonde started to panic. Though he had a grudge against Itachi, he was worried that Aoi was going to die, and didn't care about petty squabbles at the moment. He needed help. "Uchiha!" he whispered desperately. "Something's wrong with her! She's not breathing right, un!"

With one last look into the forest around them, Itachi swiftly walked over to where the bomber was sitting. He gently laid the girl down on Deidara's sleeping bag and put a hand lightly on the center of her chest, to feel her breathing. "I don't know much about anatomy," he finally said. "But I know quite a bit about the human mind. I have a feeling that Aoi-san is in a self-induced coma."

"Self-induced, un?" asked Deidara, confused. _What does that mean?_

"It means that her mind is forcing her body to stay unconscious, even though she is physically okay, besides her hand and the broken ribs."

"Why?" asked the blonde.

"Because," Itachi explained, "she is mentally and emotionally broken at the moment. This would only happen if she felt extreme panic, danger, or trauma, and felt as though the only place she could be safe is in her own mind."

"What did Sasuke do to her, un?" Deidara muttered. It was the wrong thing to say. The raven-haired man stiffened, and his eyes grew cold. The bomber didn't apologize, though. He didn't feel he needed to; Sasuke had tortured him, and he was glad that the youngest Uchiha was dead.

After a moment of silence, Itachi continued speaking. "I am going to try to jolt her out of this; I need to know what exactly…he…did in order to help her heal further."

"Go ahead, Uchiha, un."

"For this to be effective, I'm going to have to remove her shirt," the Uchiha stated.

Deidara shrugged. The shirt was already see-through. Though he didn't like the idea of Itachi touching her chest, he let him; anything was better than Aoi acting half-dead.

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Itachi nodded, gently slipping the shirt over her head. Concentrating chakra into his hand, he softly hit the center of her chest twice. When that didn't work, he tried once more. This time, her eyes snapped open, and she sat up, wrapping her arms around herself, shivering. As she looked up at Itachi, she whispered, "No, Sasuke, don't!" She closed her eyes, as though trying to evade the Sharingan.

The raven-haired man looked absolutely appalled. _Sasuke, what did you do to her? _he thought, dismayed. "Please, Aoi-san. It's me, Itachi. I need to look into your thoughts to help you heal emotionally. I promise I won't hurt you."

"I-Itachi-san?" she whispered, slowly opening her eyes.

Itachi used this moment to look into her eyes with his own Sharingan-activated ones. He slipped into the memory he was looking for without any resistance from Aoi. He didn't know if this was good or bad.

He watched, sickened, as the brunette was tortured, both physically and mentally, by Sasuke. _What happened to you, little brother? _he thought sadly, shaking his head. When the youngest Uchiha threatened to rape her, Itachi's blood turned to ice. This was not the brother he once used help with shuriken throwing. His mind had warped into something twisted, something ugly. He winced as Sasuke stabbed the girl's hand and kicked her to the floor, sadistically cutting her chest and apparently, her neck as well. He wanted to clap his hands over his ears as his younger brother picked up a glass top off one of the tables and smashed it onto her small body, making her scream in agony before she passed out.

The memory ended with Sasori kicking the door down, and Itachi found himself staring at Aoi's unconscious form once more. He realized that if the puppet master didn't interfere when he did, the girl would probably be in a much worse state than she was now. The middle Uchiha shook his head, trying to clear it of the memory. However, Aoi's last scream reverberated throughout his head.

His eyes snapped open when he realized that Sasori had never healed Aoi's neck injury. _Probably because her hair covered it. _He softly brushed back her hair, revealing not a simple cut, but a small Uchiha fan carved into the left side of her neck.

Now Itachi felt really sick. _Sasori was right, _he thought, sinking to his knees. _He really went insane! _Fortunately, the wound had stopped bleeding. Unfortunately, if Sasori didn't heal it right away, it would scar, causing the fan to remain etched into her skin forever. He didn't want to wake the puppeteer up, though, he needed his sleep. He knew that the redhead couldn't sleep right, and didn't want to risk it.

He sensed someone moving behind him and whirled around, ready to fight. He relaxed when he realized it was only Deidara.

"Are you okay, Uchiha, un?" the blonde asked, looking concerned. "You were staring into space for awhile."

"I'm fine," Itachi said stiffly. Though he kissed the bomber, he had to work out his feelings for him. All he knew is that he was attracted to the Iwa-nin for some reason. He wasn't sure if Deidara liked him back, though.

"Why were you looking at Aoi's neck, un?" he pressed, his large blue eyes narrowing.

The Uchiha decided to show Deidara what Sasuke had done. He realized that both he and Sasori would find out eventually, and the raven-haired man figured that it would be best if the bomber saw first, since Sasori seemed to have a possessive streak, and would most likely be angrier than his partner. Itachi knew that the redhead and Aoi had a relationship since the day Pein almost drowned her.

"Come here," he finally said, kneeling down next to Aoi.

The blonde mimicked the action, kneeling next to Itachi. As the Uchiha moved the brunette's hair out of the way, Deidara's face went pale. "That sick bastard!" he whispered. "What was he trying to show? Was he marking her as his own, or something, un?"

Though Itachi suspected that this statement was for the bomber himself, he answered, "I think that's exactly what he wanted to show." This realization only made the raven-haired man grieve more. Not just for the physical death of Sasuke, but for the death of his naivety and innocence that happened long before. He closed his eyes, willing himself not to cry. As he focused on his breathing, the emotion passed, and he opened his eyes, unemotional once more.

He felt something on his shoulder, and automatically tensed up. Realizing that Deidara only put a hand on his shoulder, he let himself relax.

"Look, I can't say that I'm grieving over the death of that bas—Sasuke, but I know _you_ are, un," he said. "You're not acting like yourself."

Itachi absolutely _hated _how he was feeling at the moment. Like Sasori, _he _liked to be the one in control. And right now, nothing was under control: Aoi's trauma, his grief, and feelings for the blonde next to him. Everything was all messed up.

"Normally, I wouldn't do this, un," Deidara stated gruffly. "You took something away from me that can never be returned. But seeing you like this…it…hurts." With that, he pulled the raven-haired man close to him, wrapping his arms around him. Itachi stiffened at this, but found himself tired and overwhelmed from the day's events. Add his aching eyes to this, and one can understand why he fell limp in the Iwa-nin's embrace, a peaceful sleep overtaking him.

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Deidara didn't know what he was doing. As he saw Itachi pretty much break down in front of him, his heart started to ache. _What the hell is the matter with you? Itachi was the one that forced you to join the Akatsuki against your will. He took away your freedom! _But no matter how much he wanted to hate the Uchiha, he realized that he couldn't. He just couldn't. At least, not at this moment. He just looked so, so…_vulnerable_.

Before he knew what he was doing, he wrapped his arms around the older man, pulling him close, so close that he could feel the Uchiha's heart beating. Something about comforting Itachi just felt…right to him. And that made him feel sick. _No! You're a _man_! You're not supposed to like this! _He was disgusted with himself. But he couldn't get a certain thought out of his head. _He is so beautiful when he sleeps. _He closed his eyes and mentally shook his head, trying to clear it of the thought. _What the hell is the matter with you? _He thought of letting go of the Uchiha and putting him on the ground, but he couldn't make himself. Instead, he moved his arms into a more comfortable position, Itachi still in his embrace. _Kami, why is this happening to me? Why do I feel this way? This isn't supposed to happen! _

He was snapped out of his thoughts when Itachi shifted in his sleep, muttering something that sounded like, "Sasuke." Gone was the peaceful demeanor; it was replaced by sadness, the emotion twisting up the raven-haired man's face.

Deidara didn't like this expression at all. It was so unlike the normally emotionless façade Itachi always wore. Without thinking, he started to softly rub the Uchiha's shoulders, trying to make his expression peaceful once more. _Why am I doing this? Why should I care? I _hate _him! _

But as the middle Uchiha smiled in his sleep, Deidara's heart swelled. He decided that he could be truthful with himself, at least in his own mind. He finally admitted to himself what his heart was telling him for awhile now. He wasn't cold to Uchiha Itachi because he truly hated the man; the reason for this emotion was clear to him now. It was because he had fallen for him.

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And that's the end of Chapter Twenty-Eight. Not exactly the most action-y chapter ever (it's actually quite boring, lolz), but I actually like it.

This chapter was to actually show Deidara's growing feelings for Itachi.

Speaking of our favorite bomber, I really wanted to make him the stronger person for once, and Itachi the more vulnerable one. I actually like how it turned out, especially with the state that Itachi's mind is in at the moment. This was also to see if people preferred DeiIta over ItaDei. It doesn't really matter to me, either one could work for the story. I thought it was refreshing to make Dei the one in control, lolz.

Hopefully, the moment between Deidara and Itachi wasn't too cheesy.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	30. Chapter TwentyNine: Warmth

Welcome to Chapter Twenty-Nine!

This chapter takes place the night after the last one ended. Since I really didn't give Aoi a true backstory as to why she acts the way she does around people (minus the Akatsuki), a part of this chapter will focus on it.

It will focus on Aoi, Sasori, Itachi, and Zetsu.

A big thank-you goes out to everyone who reviewed and/or added this to their favorites/ alerts lists. You are all awesome!

I don't own Naruto.

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Chapter Twenty-Nine: Warmth

Aoi shivered in her sleep. She was cold, so cold. But she didn't wake up. It wasn't because she couldn't, it was because she _wouldn't. _It was relaxing just to be immersed in the blackness of her own mind. Though she was cold, she was safe. At least, that's what she thought, until a familiar nightmare found its way into her thoughts. No, not a nightmare, a _memory. _Though it was horrific all the same…

_"So, Aoi? That's your name, right? I heard you're really smart." This voice belonged to Daisy Adams, one of the most popular girls in the senior class. _

_Aoi, who was a sophomore at the time, looked up at the taller girl in awe. _Why is she talking to me? _she thought, confused. Despite her misgivings, she answered, "Yes. I'm third in my class's rankings." Aoi was shy, but she was proud of her intelligence._

_"That's what I thought," replied Daisy, flipping her newly-dyed platinum blonde hair over her shoulder. "I have a…problem…and I need your help."_

_Aoi was shocked that Daisy would come to her for help. She wasn't well-known at school; she wasn't that fond of interacting with her classmates. But she was compassionate, and wouldn't turn the girl away if she needed help with something._

_"What do you need?" Aoi asked._

_"Well," the older girl grabbed onto the younger's shoulder, leaning in to whisper, "I'm not doing so hot in Advanced Stats right now, and we were just assigned a take-home test. Would you mind 'helping' me with it?"_

_Aoi was now alarmed; Daisy was asking her to do the test for her, to _cheat. _And that went against her morals. "I'm sorry," she finally said, removing Daisy's hand from her shoulder. "I don't cheat. You could probably ask the teacher to help you, or—"_

_She let her sentence trail off as she looked at the senior's face. It had twisted into something cold. Eyes narrowed, she harshly grabbed Aoi's shoulder once more and hissed, "Are you sure about that, Aoi?"_

_The brunette was scared, but she swallowed her fear. She would not get swayed. "Yes. Now if you excuse me, I'm going to be late for class." She twisted herself out of Daisy's grip and hastily walked to her classroom._

_After the last period of the day was over, Aoi headed to the art room. Her teacher had given her permission to stay there after school to work on a drawing. She thought that Aoi was quite talented for her age—and responsible—so she left the girl alone for an hour in the classroom._

_Aoi was just about finished when she heard the door open. Thinking it was the teacher, she called, "I'm just about done, Mrs. Maru; thanks for letting me stay af—"_

_Her sentence was cut short when Daisy and three of her friends stepped into the room, closing the door quietly behind them. One of the girls stood by the door, blocking it. The other two restrained Aoi, one pinning her arms behind her back and the other standing behind her, holding her shoulders. _

_"Last chance, Aoi," hissed Daisy, stepping closer. "Will you do my test for me?"_

_Though Aoi was scared, she wasn't going to give in. "No."_

_The blonde swung her hand forward, slapping the younger girl across the face. Aoi was so shocked that she didn't cry out. She _did _yelp when she felt Daisy's foot meet her stomach. She would have crumpled to the ground if the other girls weren't restraining her. _

_While she was still winded, she didn't resist as the girls forced her to lean down, her right arm laying palm-up on one of the tables. Nor did she resist when one held her arm down while the other restrained her. _

_She looked around and saw that Daisy was rifling through the supply cabinet. She found what she was looking for, and smirked, showing the items to her friends and Aoi: duct tape and a jumbo X-Acto knife. The blonde walked over to Aoi, whispering, "Are you sure you won't help me?"_

_"N-no!" Aoi stuttered. By now, she was terrified. But she wasn't going to be terrorized into submission._

_"Suit yourself." Daisy ripped a piece of tape off of the roll and stuck it to Aoi's mouth. "You won't be drawing for awhile, though." With that, she brought the knife to the brunette's exposed palm and sank it into the sensitive skin, drawing a deep, horizontal line across the middle of it._

_Aoi's agonized screams were silenced by the tape. She looked at her hand, rapidly spilling blood, and started to cry. _She's insane! She's going to kill me!

_However, once the blonde finished admiring her 'work', she nodded, letting her friends drop the smaller girl to the floor._

_Aoi's vision was going blurry, the cause of it being the pain, the fear, or a combination of the two. The last things she saw before curling her legs to her chest and giving into unconsciousness were the girls leaving the art room and the iron-smelling, crimson blood flowing onto the floor from her hand… _

Aoi woke up, shivering, screaming, and disoriented. She didn't know where she was or why she was outside. After a moment, she remembered she was with the Akatsuki and tried to calm down. But she couldn't. The mesh shirt she was wearing gave no protection from the cold, and her pants had so many rips they couldn't even be considered pants. But worse than the cold was the feeling of pure terror she just experienced in her dream. She felt something wet on her hand and realized that the puncture on it started bleeding again. She closed her eyes, feeling the tears welling up in them.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and reflexively tensed, whirling around. She relaxed when she realized it was just Sasori, who was keeping watch.

Honestly, she wouldn't have cared if it was Zetsu. At the moment, she just needed someone to hold onto, before she broke down. She shakily stood up and wrapped her arms around the redhead, burying her face in his shirt.

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Sasori was shaken out of his bored mood when he heard Aoi scream in her sleep. She sat up, grabbing her right hand, eyes wild. He ran over to where she was sitting and placed a hand on her shoulder.

After stiffening, the girl turned around, eyes and body relaxing as she realized who it was. She slowly got up and wrapped her arms around him, sobbing into his shirt.

"Aoi! What's wrong?"

"It's okay, Sasori. I just dreamt of a…a bad memory. That's all," she answered. She held up her right hand. "It started to bleed again."

Since his chakra was now replenished, Sasori healed it. That's when he noticed that below the puncture, right across the middle of her palm, was a thin, white scar. By looking closer at it, he realized that neither Sasuke nor Orochimaru inflicted it; it was around three years old. "That scar," he finally said. "You got it from your world." It wasn't a question.

Aoi nodded, looking down. "That's what I was dreaming about."

"Who gave it to you?" the redhead demanded, concerned. _Why the hell would she have a scar like that? _

As Aoi explained what happened, Sasori got angry. _How dare that girl do that to her? All for a test grade? _"What happened after you passed out?" he asked, aloud.

"Well, I don't know the details, since I wasn't awake, but apparently my art teacher walked into the room and found me unconscious and bleeding, so she took me to the hospital," Aoi explained. "I woke up after I got stitches. My parents came shortly after that. They were so upset." She hollowly laughed. "That seemed to be the only time when they actually were worried about me." She paused, letting go of the puppet master and sat back down on her sleeping bag. Sasori did the same, though he sat on the ground.

"After that," she continued, "my parents pressed charges against Daisy and her friends. At first they denied what they did, but after the police found Daisy's fingerprints on the knife that she used to cut me, all four of them broke down and confessed, like the babies they were. Daisy's friends got expelled, while Daisy herself got sentenced to jail for assault and battery. Originally, she was only going to go to a juvenile facility, but the court tried her as an adult because she was eighteen."

Sasori didn't understand all of the legal terms and rules, but he knew that Daisy was locked up in prison for awhile. "What about you?" he asked.

"Well, I transferred schools. But because of what happened, my social skills got all messed up. Not that they weren't before. I never liked to be around people before the attack, but after, it got worse. I isolated myself from everyone, including my parents, and never showed any emotion."

"Is that why you wanted to become a living puppet?" asked the redhead, tilting his head, wrapping his arm around Aoi.

"Yes," she whispered. "Sometimes I still do." She looked down at her feet.

Sasori realized that he truly didn't know very much about Aoi, the person he loved. And that sickened him. "It's still pretty early in the morning," he finally said. "Do you want to go back to sleep?"

Aoi rubbed her eyes, swollen from the many tears she had shed. "I guess so," she said, nodding. "I need my strength if I'm going to be walking tomorrow." With that, she climbed back into her sleeping bag and closed her eyes.

After awhile of just watching her sleeping form, Sasori decided to resume his sentry duties. As he started to get up, he noticed someone else was awake, though still in his sleeping bag. Acknowledging the person, he asked, "How much of that did you hear, Itachi-san?"

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_Damn! _Itachi cursed. He was trying to listen to Sasori and Aoi's conversation discreetly. Now that he was caught, there was no sense in lying. "I heard it all, Sasori-san. That poor girl." He shook his head, sitting up. "No wonder she acted the way she did when she first met us."

"I know," answered the puppeteer. "Add what happened with Tobi, Orochimaru, and Sasuke to that; it's amazing how her spirit's not completely broken."

"I'm not going to lie to you, Sasori-san," replied the Uchiha. "She's very close to the point where her spirit would break. If anything else happens to traumatize her, she will become fully emotionless, as a coping mechanism."

"I'll protect her, then. Nothing will hurt her."

"I don't doubt that," answered the raven-haired man. "I know you love her very much. Normally, I would say something to you about the large gap between your ages, but she seems to love you as well, so I won't. A relationship is good for her; Kami knows she hasn't had _anyone _care about her that much before. Almost like Deidara-san."

"You think that a relationship will be good for him too," stated Sasori.

"I-I don't know what you mean," Itachi replied.

"Don't lie to me, Uchiha. I saw you and Deidara last night. You're in love with him, aren't you?"

"No. I'm not." At Sasori's piercing stare, the Uchiha continued. "I don't know! It isn't right. I know that. And Pein sure as hell knows it."

"Forget about Pein." The puppet master's voice was unusually gentle. "He's not right all the time." His voice got harsher as he went on. "But if you do _anything _to hurt my partner, if you force him into anything he doesn't want, you'll experience your own Tsukuyomi. With me in control."

Itachi closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. _What should I do? _he asked himself. He, like Sasori, wasn't used to showing his emotions so openly. _I…like…Deidara, but I shouldn't. I really shouldn't. _He thought of how Pein mocked the blonde after he got assaulted by Orochimaru, and winced. If the orange-haired man ever found out, someone was going to pay. And the raven-haired man was sure it would be Deidara, since the pierced man seemed to like picking on him. _I'm not even sure if he feels anything for me besides hatred. _He knew that the bomber had held him last night, but he was sure it was because he pretty much had a breakdown in front of him. _Everything's so messed up._

He decided that it was time for him to go back to sleep. Before he closed his eyes, Sasori had one more thing to tell him. "Just a heads-up, Itachi-san: when we get back to the base, Deidara will avoid you at all costs. Just saying. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," the raven-haired man murmured before slowing his breathing and closing his eyes.

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Zetsu was amused. Neither Sasori nor Itachi realized that he was awake, and had just heard their entire conversation. _So, Uchiha's in love with Deidara? __**That's disgusting. **__No it's not! At least _someone_ loves him! __**They're both male, for Kami's sake! **__Shut up! _

The plant-man sighed; sometimes he really didn't like his darker half. In all honesty, he was happy for Deidara, for having someone who cared about him. Same thing with Aoi. _I wonder if we'll ever have someone who cares about us. __**I don't think so, considering we're well…us. **_

No matter how much he told people otherwise, Zetsu was very lonely. Having two sides of himself helped, but only a bit. He was loyal to Madara, of course, but he wouldn't consider the two of them friends. Aoi was a different story. She talked to him like a person, not a freak, and for that, he was grateful. He didn't love her in the way Sasori did, but he was still glad that she was summoned to the Akatsuki, and hated to see her hurt.

Thinking back to the situation between Itachi and Deidara, Zetsu pondered what to do about it. _**Should we tell Pein-sama? **__No! He'll go after them, especially Deidara. And you know what happened last time. __**That's true. **_Even the bi-colored man's darker half winced at the thought. _**Let's keep this between us, for now. **__Agreed. _

The plant man went back to the tree that he slept under and laid under it, amber eyes closing and sleep overtaking him.

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And that's the end of Chapter Twenty-Nine. It's definitely not my best; it was more of a filler chapter.

…I know a lot of you are probably thinking, 'What the hell? Daisy attacked Aoi over a test? That's so unrealistic!' That part of the story was actually inspired by a newspaper article I just read. It was about a girl whose face got cut up because she refused to let another girl cheat off of her during a test. I was appalled at the story, but thought it would be a good backstory for Aoi.

…Sasori, you're so protective of Deidara, lolz!

I know Zetsu's part might seem out of place, but I felt like I needed to include him. It was fun writing his argument with himself. Plus, I thought it would be humorous—and unique—if I made his sides have different opinions on the whole Itachi-and-Deidara relationship.

I hoped you enjoyed the chapter, even though it was a filler!


	31. Chapter Thirty: Consequences

Welcome to Chapter Thirty!

Pein will be a jerk in this chapter, but he has reasons for acting like he does. Without spoiling anything, Aoi gets a new job in the Akatsuki because of him.

This chapter will focus on Aoi, Sasori, Deidara, and Itachi.

It will begin where the previous chapter left off.

A big thank-you goes out to everyone who reviewed or put this on their alerts/ favorites lists!

I don't own Naruto, and never will.

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Chapter Thirty: Consequences

It was the third—and last—day of the journey back to the Akatsuki base, and despite the good rest they had the night before, everyone was tired. Especially Aoi. Though Sasori had comforted her after she woke up, screaming, from a nightmare, she didn't get much sleep after that. On top of that, her body was starting to ache, even though the redhead had partially healed all the wounds Sasuke inflicted on her.

When the group finally reached the outskirts of Amegakure, one side of Aoi's neck was aching, and the burning feeling was starting to drive her crazy. She scratched at it, puzzled when she felt blood on her hand. She turned to the person closest to her and asked, "Sasori? Is there something on my neck? It just started bleeding."

The puppeteer stepped closer to her, brushing her hair away from the area. Suddenly, he drew in his breath, and his eyes went cold. "That damn Uchiha!" he muttered venomously.

"What? What did Sasuke do?" Aoi asked, confused. She knew right away which Uchiha he was referring to.

Sasori just shook his head, making one of his hands glow green. He pressed it to the brunette's neck, and after a moment, all the pain disappeared. "He carved his clan's crest into your skin," he finally explained. "He was trying to show that you…belonged ...to him. I healed it, so it's gone."

Aoi shuddered, thinking about what Sasuke would have done if the redhead didn't come into the room when he did. She was happy that he was dead

After another hour of walking, the five finally made it back into the base. Since it was eleven o'clock in the morning, lunch was just being brought out by Hidan.

"Glad to see all you fuckers are still alive," said the immortal, curtly nodding his head.

"Why the hell wouldn't they be?" asked Kisame, who grabbed a plate. "All they had to do was blow up Orochimaru's lab."

Hidan shrugged. "You never know."

Aoi was still holding Sasori's hand when Pein and Konan walked into the room. She quickly dropped it, but not before the pierced man gave her a look of disappointment and distaste. _He knows, _she thought, her heart sinking.

"I take it your mission was a success," stated Pein.

"Well, yes and no, Leader-sama," answered Sasori. "Uchiha Sasuke is dead, and will not bother this organization any longer."

As the redhead said this, Aoi noticed Itachi bite his lip and grip the table harder. _He must really be upset. _

"However," continued the puppet master, "I made a deal with Yakushi Kabuto. If we didn't blow up the base, he promised to leave the Akatsuki alone."

"You failed, then," said Pein, eyes cold. "You have never failed a mission before, Sasori. Is it because you think you're in _love?_"

Everyone else in the room gasped. Aoi looked down and gripped her shirt tighter. She suddenly felt self-conscious, remembering that the shirt she was wearing was mesh, leaving her bra exposed. _No wonder everyone was staring at me! _

She snapped her head up as she heard Pein continue. "You know the rules, Sasori; relationships are not tolerated in this organization. They distract you, and deter your efficiency on missions."

As he spoke, Aoi saw Itachi glance at Deidara, who was looking everywhere but at the Uchiha.

"Tobi doesn't know what's wrong!" exclaimed Madara, acting as his childish persona. "Sasori-san doesn't look weak to Tobi!"

For once, Aoi was grateful for Madara. For whatever reason, the masked man seemed to be on her side.

"I didn't mean physically weaker!" barked the orange-haired man. "Relationships ruin your mind; they make you soft!" Turning to Sasori, he hissed, "You broke a very important rule, Sasori. _You _of all people should know that if you break rules, there are always consequences." He paused, looking like he was thinking of what to say next. Looking coldly at Aoi and the puppeteer, he stated, "I have decided your punishment. Sasori! Do you have any slow-acting poisons, with ready-made antidotes, that you still need to test?"

"I have five," answered the puppet master. "What does that have to do with anyt—" His eyes snapped wide open in realization. "No!" he spat. "Absolutely not! I refuse to!"

Aoi was confused. _What are they talking about? _She looked around to see if the others had any idea what was going on, but they looked just as puzzled. Itachi looked as stoic as ever, but she had a feeling that he knew.

"You can't escape this!" threatened Pein. "This will punish you _and _the girl. It will make you think twice about having a relationship in this organization!"

Itachi closed his eyes and bowed his head.

"What makes you think I'm going to do it?" Sasori asked angrily.

The pierced man answered, "If you don't, the girl will be removed from the Akatsuki."

At that statement, Sasori froze. As he looked at Aoi, she noticed the agony in his eyes. "Okay," he whispered. "I'll do it. I'll test my poisons out on her."

As Aoi heard this, her heart started beating rapidly, and ice crept through her body.

"I assume that you will be observing," the redhead spat.

"Naturally," answered the Akatsuki leader.

"So will I," said Konan.

Pein nodded, but looked at her questionably. "Very well." With that, he ran behind Aoi, pinning her arms behind her back. "Walk," he commanded.

Aoi complied; she was too numb to resist. Soon, she, Sasori, Pein, and Konan were back in the artists' room. She was thrown onto Deidara's bed, and saw Konan closing and locking the door. She attempted to get up, only to be pushed down on her back again by Pein. "If you don't cooperate, I won't hesitate to kill you; you have no talents worth keeping! You're still here only because everyone else likes you."

At that, Aoi froze, trying to relax. _Sasori won't kill me. He won't. I trust him. _She looked around the room and saw Sasori take a syringe filled with something out of a small cooler. He walked over to Aoi, flicking the syringe a couple times. "This poison is an injection. It's supposed to slowly make your throat constrict." She noticed that the redhead's voice was raspy, as though it was hard for him to talk. "I'm sorry," he mouthed, looking her in the eyes. He then stuck the needle into one of her veins.

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For an hour, Sasori watched as the poison took effect, taking notes on what he observed. He could barely write, though; with each gasp Aoi made, his heart was breaking. _Pein, you bastard! _When he looked over at the orange-haired man, he saw that he was staring at Aoi in fascination.

Suddenly, the brunette's eyes went wide, and she grabbed her throat. Sasori was about to grab the antidote when Pein ordered, "No. Take your notes first."

The puppeteer hastily scribbled down his findings and ran over to his partner's bed, stabbing the needle into Aoi's arm and releasing the antidote into her veins. After a minute, the brunette started to breathe normally, and she visibly relaxed, closing her eyes.

"Four more to go," stated the Akatsuki leader.

"You can't be serious, Pein! That's four more hours of this torture!"

"I'm completely serious," replied the pierced man. "This is both her and your punishment. Accept it. Or do you want her gone?"

Sasori lowered his head in defeat.

"Get the next one!" Pein commanded.

The redhead walked back to the cooler and grabbed a beaker filled with a dark purple liquid. He poured about a fifth of it into another glass. "This one has to be ingested. It induces severe stomach pains and nausea." He closed his eyes, feeling the burning sensation return.

Aoi shakily stretched out her arm, taking the cup from the puppeteer, her face stoic and determined. _Stay strong, Aoi, _he thought, _they only get worse. _The girl swallowed the liquid, wrinkling her nose in distaste.

After about thirty minutes, she sat up, grabbing her stomach. Her face was flushed, and Sasori knew what was coming. He grabbed the wastebasket that was by his desk and brought it to Aoi, just as she vomited. She continued to do so until nothing was left in her stomach. Then, she fell back on the bed, shivering.

The redhead grabbed the antidote out of the cooler, pouring the right amount of it into a cup. His notes forgotten, he rushed over to the bed and slowly poured the liquid into her open mouth. After a couple moments, she relaxed once more.

"Please!" For the first time in his life, Sasori begged. "I think you've made your point! Don't make me put her through any more of this!"

Pein looked coldly at the puppet master. "No. She better be getting used to it; this is what her purpose in the Akatsuki will be."

"Are you serious, Pein?" This time, it was Konan who spoke.

"Quite. Since _Aoi-san_," he sneered the name, "wants to help us so bad, this will be her job. Every time you make a new poison, it will be tested on her." This was directed at the puppeteer.

"Hell no! I'm not putting her through this anymore!" spat Sasori.

"Sa-so-ri." With every syllable, Aoi winced with pain. "It's okay. He's right…I need to prove my worth…to the Akatsuki. I'll…do it." The redhead's eyes widened. _Aoi!_

Pein smirked. "See, Sasori? Even _she _agreed to it! It's settled! That will be her new job! Now get the next poison! The faster you give them to her, the sooner this will all be over!"

The puppet master nodded, feeling sick.

The next poison—an injection—induced cardiac arrest. This one attacked her system faster that the others, and soon she was screaming, thrashing, and grabbing at her chest. Before any more damage could be done, Sasori administered the antidote, with Konan restraining the girl so he could inject her in the right spot. He also healed her heart, since it was slightly damaged.

This time, Aoi didn't recover as quickly. Her face had lost all color, and the area around the chakra device was swollen and red. _I forgot; she has a weak heart, _he thought, worried that the poison did more damage than it was supposed to.

"One more," stated Pein

Sasori knew that his leader wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. He clenched his fists and teeth, walking over to the cooler to get the last poison. _This is the worst one. The last one already weakened her so much; I hope she can take it._

The final poison was yet another injection. As the redhead leaned over Aoi, ready to administer it, he saw that her once determined eyes had gone dull with pain, and that she had bit her lip because of the previous poison. He gently wiped away the blood and caressed her face. The brunette managed a small smile until she winced with pain.

"Hurry up!" Pein barked. The puppet master nodded, and slowly injected the liquid into a vein on her arm.

Barely fifteen minutes passed when the girl let out the loudest scream Sasori ever heard. She thrashed around until she suddenly stopped, her limbs falling limp and her mouth snapping shut. Her eyes were wild with fear and pain, and her breathing sped up.

"What does this one do?" asked the orange-haired man, genuinely intrigued.

_Sick bastard! _Aloud, he answered, "Total paralysis. Soon, her heart and lungs will slow, and she'll stop breathing. As you can see," he spat, "her vocal chords are already paralyzed." When he reached for the antidote, Pein held up a hand.

"Stop!" he said. "I want to see what happens next!"

Sasori was done with this. His eyes widened, and he finally said what he'd wanted to tell his leader since his and Aoi's torture began. "Fuck you, you sadistic bastard!" With that, he plunged the needle into Aoi's arm, releasing the antidote into her system.

Once the brunette was stabilized, he glared daggers at Pein and Konan. "Get. The. Hell. Out. Now!"

"Very well, Sasori-san," said Konan, unlocking the door. "Let's go, Leader-sama." She placed a hand on Pein's arm.

"Fine," he stated. Looking at the puppeteer, he continued. "I hope you learned your lesson; failure—and relationships—will not be tolerated. I better not catch you two 'interacting' again!" He grabbed the door and threw it open, revealing a wide-eyed Deidara. "Get the hell out of my way!" he snapped, pushing the blonde away from him.

Once they left, Deidara entered the room, looking extremely worried. Sasori put a hand to Aoi's chest, and started to panic when he noticed that her breathing was irregular. "Deidara!" he yelled, with uncharacteristic worry. "Get Kakuzu RIGHT NOW!"

"I'm on it, un," the bomber stated, running to the infirmary. He knew that the situation was desperate.

Once the Iwa-nin left, Sasori gently placed a glowing hand on the brunette's chest, trying to sense anything he could heal. _Damn it! Why can't I fix anything! _He felt the burning in his eyes once more, and his breaths came out as shaky gasps. He realized that he was crying without shedding any tears. "I'm sorry, Aoi," he choked. "I'm so sorry!" He sat on the bed next to her, holding her limp hand.

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Deidara knew something horrible was going on when he heard Aoi's agonized screams coming from his room. He pounded on the door, but apparently nobody heard him. After awhile, he just stood there, waiting, until Pein opened up the door.

"Get the hell out of my way!" the pierced man spat, pushing him aside.

Once he and Konan left, the blonde ran into the room. He looked at Sasori, who had an expression of fear on his face. "Deidara!" he yelled hysterically. "Get Kakuzu RIGHT NOW!"

"I'm on it, un," the bomber answered. He ran to the infirmary, only to find that Kakuzu wasn't there. He started to run back where he came, only to smack right into Itachi, the person who he was avoiding all day.

But now, he didn't care. He needed to find out where the Taki-nin was; it was an emergency. "Itachi!" he shouted. "I need your help! Do you know where Kakuzu-san is? Aoi is hurt badly, and needs to be healed, un!"

"I think he's in the common room," said the Uchiha, grabbing the blonde's hand. "Follow me."

For once, Deidara didn't resist the raven-haired man's touch. He let himself be pulled by the other man until they reached the common room. Sure enough, the stitched man was there. "Kakuzu-san!" the bomber said breathlessly. "Sasori no danna needs your help, un! Something's wrong with Aoi!"

"What is it now?" the medic asked. But despite his indifference, he got up and ran to the redhead's room.

Deidara felt himself relax. "Thank you, Itachi, un." Before he knew what he was doing, he quickly kissed the raven-haired man on the lips and ran off before Itachi could say anything.

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Itachi watched as Deidara ran off, stunned. _He didn't call me 'Uchiha'. He said my name. _It was then when the Uchiha comprehended that the blonde had kissed him. _Does he feel something for me, too? Or was it just because of the urgency of the situation? _No matter the reason, Itachi liked the feeling of Deidara's lips on his. _No! _the more rational part of his brain told him. _This is wrong! Besides the fact that we're both male, you _know _relationships aren't tolerated in the Akatsuki! Look what happened to Aoi and Sasori! Imagine what Pein would do to you—and to Deidara—if he ever found out! _Itachi was worried more about the Iwa-nin than himself; he knew the pierced man would show no mercy to him. _Why does it have to be this way? _he asked himself. And for once, Uchiha Itachi didn't have the answer.

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And that's the end of Chapter Thirty!

I know Pein was cruel, but I needed to show how much he's against _any _relationships within the Akatsuki.

…I have no idea if poisons like that exist. I just thought of things that would be really painful and based the poisons off of that.

Besides being dramatic, I wanted to give Aoi another job in the Akatsuki, and I thought that having Sasori's poisons being tested on her was a unique idea.

…Yay! More ItaDei at the end. And for once, Itachi is really confused!

I hope you enjoyed the chapter; I was studying for AP Gov/Politics while I was typing this, so I hope it turned out all right.


	32. Chapter ThirtyOne: Perspective

Welcome to Chapter Thirty-One!

This one will probably be the last chapter in this arc of the story. It will focus on Kakuzu, Sasori, Konan, and Itachi. It will begin where the last one ended.

Many thanks go to everyone who reviewed and/or added this to their alerts/favorites lists. You're all awesome!

Nope, I still don't own Naruto. (I own an Akatsuki cloak, though)

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Chapter Thirty-One: Perspective

"What's the matter with her this time?" Kakuzu asked as he walked into the room.

"I think something's wrong with her heart," answered Sasori.

The stitched man curtly nodded, gently removing the mesh shirt that Aoi was wearing. He placed one glowing hand on her chest and the other one on her stomach. He closed his eyes, trying to sense the problem. After a moment, they snapped open, an uncharacteristic look of surprise on his face. "Her body is messed up inside. Her muscles seem inflamed, especially her heart. That seems to be the biggest problem. The lining of her stomach is becoming corroded in some areas, and her lungs seemed damaged. The only reason why she's still alive is because the chakra tendrils from the device kept her heart and lungs completely intact, albeit damaged. I can fix this, but I will have to cut her open and repair everything directly."

Sasori nodded, closing his eyes. "Can you start right away?"

"I suppose I can, once I prepare the necessary equipment," said the Taki-nin.

"Thank you, Kakuzu-san," Sasori replied.

"These are some very serious injuries, Sasori-san. What the hell did you do to her?" For once, Kakuzu was sympathetic towards the brunette. He knew that whatever she went through was extremely painful.

Once Sasori was done explaining what happened, Kakuzu narrowed his eyes. _What happened to our leader? _Aloud, he said, "I'm going to prepare the operation now. When I send Hidan here, it means that everything is ready, and that you can bring her down to the infirmary."

"Understood." The redhead nodded.

Kakuzu took that as his cue to leave. He wanted to get this over with as fast as possible; he had other things he wanted to do, like count his money.

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Once the Taki-nin left, Sasori sat on the bed next to Aoi, stroking her hair. As he placed his hand on hers, he realized how much color her skin had lost. When she first was brought to the base, it was pale, but glowed with health. Now it seemed to be paler than Hidan's skin-tone and looked sickly. _What have I done? _He clenched his teeth in shame every time he glanced at her limp form.

He didn't want to injure her further, but he gently raised her into a sitting position and wrapped his arms around her. Her breathing was still shallow, but it was more stable than before. As he looked at the brunette's face, he saw that it was finally peaceful. _She looks like a doll. _

Suddenly, a terrible thought appeared in Sasori's mind. Thinking that she looked like a doll made him remember Itachi's warning:_ "I'm not going to lie to you, Sasori-san; she's very close to the point where her spirit would break. If anything else happens to traumatize her, she will become fully emotionless, as a coping mechanism." _

He knew that what happened to her this day had to have traumatized her in some way. _I don't know what I would do if she became emotionless. _

Sasori didn't know how much time had past until he looked at the clock; he had been holding the unconscious Aoi for thirty minutes. He was snapped out of his thoughts when Hidan burst through the door.

"Kakuzu wanted me to tell you that he's ready for whatever the fuck you wanted him to do," he stated. His mauve eyes widened when he finally saw Aoi. "Shit! What the fuck happened to her?"

"I'll explain as we're walking," Sasori said, getting off of Deidara's bed. He made sure Aoi was supported sufficiently and walked out the door.

After he was done telling Hidan what happened, the immortal looked extremely pissed-off. "Wait. So you're telling me that you pretty much tortured her for _five fucking hours_? What's the matter with you? Do you have some sort of _fetish _for poisoning people or something? I knew you were cruel, Sasori, but this is fuckin' ridiculous!"

"I had no choice!" the puppet master's voice echoed throughout the entire hallway, amplifying its already loud tone. "If I didn't continue to poison her, Pein would've killed her! It wasn't like I _wanted _to torture her!"

The Jashinist narrowed his eyes, yet didn't say anything more.

Sasori didn't want to wait any longer, so he ran the rest of the way to the infirmary. When he walked into the room, he saw that an operating table set up.

"Place the girl on the table, Sasori-san," stated Kakuzu. "I'm ready to begin."

The redhead did as he was told. The stitched man then closed the door. "I don't want to be disturbed," he explained. After that was done, he proceeded to remove Aoi's bra. "Are you sure you want to stay for this?"

"I stayed when her arm got replaced, remember?" Sasori responded, a slightly cold tone in his voice.

"Very well then," said the medic, putting a mask supplying anesthesia over Aoi's nose, and also injected her with it. After this was finished, he grabbed an unusually large scalpel and brought it to the brunette's chest.

Sasori watched, in morbid fascination, as the Taki-nin made the standard y-incision. _That's usually done for autopsies. _The puppeteer shook the thought from his head. He grimaced as Kakuzu placed his glowing hands inside the incision, moving them around to heal different organs. The redhead knew that the stitched man was healing her, but it just didn't look right to him. As he looked closer, he noticed something. "Hey, Kakuzu-san? Why isn't she bleeding very much?"

"I made sure that most of her blood keeps normally circulating. I don't want her to die of blood loss." Sasori nodded.

The two hours that went by felt like an eternity to the puppeteer. And it wasn't the artistic eternity he was always going on about, either. During that time, he felt like his heart was going to burst from his chest. When it was finally over, Kakuzu undid the stitches on one of his arms and let the thick, black thread stitch the incision back together.

"Why didn't you just heal that?" asked Sasori, not liking how the stitches marred her—dare he say it—pretty chest.

"I used up a lot of my chakra healing all her internal injuries. This is the best I can do."

"That's all right. I'm not complaining, Kakuzu-san," answered the redhead. "I'm just wondering, though, are the stitches waterproof? And will she be able to move around with them?"

"The answer to both questions is yes. She should still take it easy for a couple days, though," stated the stitched man. "Oh! And one more thing. Her heart and lungs will be forever weakened. She will also be very susceptible to illnesses, so make sure she dresses properly." He paused, and then looked at the puppet master, pupil-less green eyes narrowing. "If you test even one more poison out on her, I guarantee that she will die. I don't care what the hell Pein says; I will not allow it! I worked too hard healing her for her to die next month!"

Sasori suspected that this was the Taki-nin's way of showing that he cared. He nodded. "I agree, Kakuzu-san."

The medic grunted and removed the mask and needle from Aoi. He then proceeded to wrap bandages around the girl from right above her breasts to below her navel. He gently picked her up and placed her on one of the beds. "She can rest here until she wakes up."

It was another thirty minutes before that happened. As her eyes started to open, Sasori tensed, remembering Itachi's comment. His heart sank when she finally spoke. "Hello, Sasori. I take it I'm healed, now." Her voice was flat and spoken in a monotone.

The puppeteer nodded, unable to speak.

"I'm going to go back to sleep, then. There's really no reason for me to be up."

"Wait!" Sasori couldn't take her acting like, well, a living puppet. So he did the only thing he could think of at the moment: he kissed her.

At first, Aoi did nothing, and Sasori thought for a moment that she lost all feelings for him. As he continued the kiss, however, she suddenly responded fiercely, catching the redhead off-guard. They both continued until Kakuzu coughed. "Get a room! Sheesh!" exclaimed the Taki-nin, rolling his eyes.

The two ended the kiss, looking embarrassed. "Thank you," Aoi whispered. "I was ready to seal all my emotions away. But I forgot how much I loved being kissed by you." She stopped talking, an amused look on her face. "That sounded like a cheesy quote from a romantic movie, didn't it?"

Sasori nodded, smiling. "But it sounded cute when you said it."

He was about to kiss her again when he heard someone knocking on the door. Kakuzu opened it, seeing that Aoi was decently clothed and the procedure was finished. Standing in the doorway were Deidara, Konan, and…Tobi. All three of them rushed to where Aoi was, but Tobi got there first.

Brushing his hand across the brunette's hair, the masked man stated, "Tobi was sorry he couldn't protect you." This was said in a half an octave lower than his normal voice, and Sasori realized that for once in Tobi's life, he was serious. He still didn't trust the masked man, but he didn't think he would try to hurt her any more.

After Tobi was Deidara. The blonde said nothing; he only sat next to her on the bed and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her close to him. "You're freezing, un!" he exclaimed.

"That's her normal temperature, now," said Kakuzu. "Don't be alarmed."

The Iwa-nin looked relieved. After a few moments more, he let go of the brunette, but not before one of his palm-mouths licked her neck. "I am so sorry about that, un!" He looked embarrassed, and the girl couldn't help but laugh.

Finally, Konan walked up to Aoi. "We need to talk," she said. "Would you mind if I brought you to my room?"

The brunette's eyes widened in fear. "Pein will not be there. He's in the library at the moment," the origami artist reassured.

Aoi relaxed. "Okay. I'll talk to you. But only if it's all right with Kakuzu-san."

The stitched man only grunted. "I take that as a yes," said Konan. She then picked up the brunette bridal style and walked out of the room, leaving a very confused Sasori.

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As Konan carried Aoi back to her room, she realized how light the brunette was. She also noticed how cold she was. She wasn't worried about that, though; Kakuzu said that it was normal for her.

Once she was inside her room, she placed the girl on her bed. "Do you want me to set up a bath for you? You haven't taken a shower in awhile, have you? Plus, it will relax you."

"Thank you. A bath sounds heavenly, Konan-san," answered the brunette.

The blue-haired woman nodded, walking into the bathroom. Unlike the other rooms, hers and Pein's had a gigantic tub in the center of it. She made sure that the water was the perfect temperature before filling up the tub. Once that was finished, she walked back to her bed and helped Aoi walk into the bathroom.

The Ame-nin turned around as the younger girl unwrapped the bandages and removed the rest of her clothes. Once she was in the tub, with the water reaching right above her chest, Konan faced the brunette, sitting in a chair that was across from the tub.

"I wanted to talk to you about Pein," she finally said.

"I know his real name, Konan-san. You can call him Nagato around me," Aoi explained.

"Very well. A long time ago, Pe—Nagato and I used to be in love. It was just after our very good friend Yahiko—I'm sure you know him, too—died. We mourned for him together, comforting each other. Things just progressed naturally after that. The first time we kissed, it was like…the pain in my heart from Yahiko's death just disappeared." Konan paused, softly smiling, wishing that those days lasted longer than they did. "However, as time passed, Nagato became angry at everyone, from Hanzo, who made Yahiko kill himself, to Jiraiya-sensei, whom he believed abandoned us. He was angry at humanity for creating war, and would do anything to stop it, no matter what the cost. That is why we are after the tailed beasts." She stopped talking to let Aoi absorb the information. After a moment, she continued. "But as the years went by, and Nagato created the Paths of Pein, he became a different person. Deep down, I believe he still loves me, but he is afraid to admit that to himself, since everyone he loved either died or left him. He is so against relationships in this organization because I think that he doesn't want any of the members—including you—to feel the terrible pain of losing the ones they love like he did."

Aoi looked at the older woman. "He wanted to protect us? But he's the one _hurting _us!"

"I know." Konan bowed her head. "I see now that this desire to protect everyone from the pain of losing someone has become twisted to the point that he is terrifying some members of this organization into doing whatever he wants them to do." She stood up. "I'm going to let you finish your bath in peace. I will stay in my room. There are towels in the cabinet next to the tub; you may use two of them. I will help you rewrap your bandages when you're all dried off."

"Thank you, Konan-san," said Aoi. "You really are an angel."

Konan smiled sadly; Nagato was the one who gave her that nickname. She walked out of the bathroom in silence, quietly shutting the door behind her.

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Itachi sat in his room, thinking about the previous two-and-a-half hours. Every time he wanted to confront Deidara about the kiss, the blonde would stiffen and run away before Itachi could say anything. The Uchiha considered himself to be a patient person, but he was starting to get annoyed. _Why won't he even look at me anymore? At least when he'd insult me, he'd say everything to my face. _He thought back to what Sasori said and pinched the bridge of his nose; he shouldn't have been surprised by the bomber's actions; the puppet master had warned him this would happen. But the raven-haired man was getting restless; he wanted to know once-and-for-all whether or not Deidara had feelings for him. He decided to look for the blonde.

He didn't have to look very long; he saw the Iwa-nin exiting the infirmary and walking towards his room. Itachi followed him, slipping into his room before he closed the door. "Uchiha?" Deidara asked. "What the hell are you doing in here, un?"

The older man locked the door and took a step towards the blonde. "We need to talk."

"No we don't. Now leave, un."

"I don't intend to until I get some answers," Itachi replied smoothly.

"Here's an answer for you: get the hell out of my room, un," spat the bomber.

"No." Itachi was fed-up. He grabbed Deidara's hand, making the Iwa-nin look at him. As the blonde looked into the Uchiha's eyes (which were his normal dark gray coloring), he recoiled as though he'd been hit. "Get away from me. Now, un."

Something was different about Deidara now. He was frightened, and Itachi wasn't sure why. A moment passed before his eyes snapped wide open in realization. _Sasuke. I must look a lot like…Sasuke. _The raven-haired man could barely say the name, even in his thoughts. _What did he do to him? _He didn't know, but he sure as hell was going to find out. _I'm sorry, Deidara. _

Itachi grabbed Deidara's hand again, this time pressing his thumb with as much force as he could manage onto the bomber's palm-mouth. He winced, and looked at Itachi, who had his Sharingan activated. "Damn it, Uchiha!" was all he could manage before the Sharingan silenced him.

When Itachi entered the memory he was looking for, he was surprised when he found himself looking through Sasuke's eyes, instead of being a bystander. Maybe it was because he was related to Sasuke, but he wasn't sure; this never happened before.

As the memory went on, Itachi found himself, no, Sasuke, sewing up the blonde's kekkei-genkai. He felt sick as he looked at Deidara's agonized expression. The middle Uchiha thought that would be the end of the memory, but he was wrong. He, and the Sasuke bunshin that was also in the room, began to viciously beat the Iwa-nin. Itachi was sickened as he heard multiple bones snap, and the blonde crying out in pain. _Make it stop! _he thought. _Sasuke, why are you doing this to him? _After he kicked Deidara in the head one last time, the bomber finally fell unconscious.

The scene changed, and this time, he found that he was looking through _Deidara's _eyes. He was being dragged out of the room he was in by Sasuke. Apparently, his injuries were healed, but he had a killer headache. Sasuke held a Chidori up to Itachi's, no, Deidara's, face, yelling something to Sasori. He looked down at his palms, the mouths on them free from the thread that once bound them, and stuck one of them into a pouch filled with clay on his belt.

Itachi watched in awe as the mouth spit out a clay spider, which he stuck to Sasuke's arm. He formed a hand-sign and threw himself to the ground, yelling, "Katsu!"

Once the dust cleared from the explosion, he saw that Sasuke was missing an arm, but still alive. Before he could even retaliate, the youngest Uchiha grabbed him by the hair, pulling him closer and forcing him to look into his eyes. "I might not be able to create a nightmare for you," he snarled, "but I know you've already gone through one in reality. Prepare to experience it once more, repeatedly!"

_What is he talking about? _Itachi thought. He realized too late what he meant. He was going to experience what Deidara felt when he was assaulted by Orochimaru.

He found himself screaming as the entire ordeal repeated itself over and over again. By the seventh time, Itachi just wanted to die; he was in so much pain, both mentally and physically.

He shut his eyes, waiting for the nightmare to repeat itself once more. But it never happened. Instead, he found himself laying on his back with Sasuke stepping on his throat. Every time he cried out, he added more pressure until he was starting to black out. Suddenly, he saw a blur of red, and the pressure was removed from his throat. He took deep breaths and closed his eyes…

Itachi found himself back in Deidara's room. Leaving the blonde where he was, he unlocked the door and ran out of the room, breathing heavily. His eyes burned excruciatingly, and his entire body ached. _What's happening to me? _This was the first time looking into a memory actually affected him physically. He used his last bit of strength to throw open the door to his room and fall onto his bed, giving in to unconsciousness.

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And that's the end of Chapter Thirty-One!

See, Kakuzu does care, at least a little.

I hope Konan's explanation of why Pein acts the way he does was okay. That was the part I was really worried about for this chapter.

I always wanted to write a part where Itachi was looking at someone's memory from a different perspective. The reason why Itachi sees the memory through Deidara's and Sasuke's eyes is because he is related to Sasuke, and because he has feelings for Deidara. I hope this part was written okay.

I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter!


	33. Chapter ThirtyTwo: Ambitions

Welcome to Chapter Thirty-Two!

I was going to start the next arc with this chapter, but I didn't want to end the arc with Itachi falling unconscious. Instead, _this _is going to be the last chapter of this arc.

In the next arc, Sasori, Deidara, and Aoi will be meeting some _very _familiar characters: Gaara, Sakura, and Chiyo. I hope I write these characters well; I've never written about them before.

This chapter will focus on Itachi, Kisame, Aoi, Sasori, and Madara.

Sasori will experience another human emotion in this chapter, lolz. He will be confused—and slightly frightened—by it.

Sorry I waited so long to post another chapter! I had a cold, and didn't feel like writing. Seriously, I hate colds! Because of it, I now have Itachi stress-line things on my face. It sucks! At lunch today, all of my Narutard friends laughed, and I glared at them, which made them laugh even harder. Now they refer to me as 'Uchiha'.

…Anyways, many thanks go to everyone who reviewed and/or added this to their favorites/alerts lists!

*Warning: This chapter contains mature themes* (Still T rated, though, lolz).

Nope, I don't own Naruto.

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Chapter Thirty-Two: Ambitions

The first thing Itachi felt when he woke up was nausea. He ran to the bathroom and retched into the toilet before sinking to his knees. He stayed that way for a couple moments until he felt the sickness pass. He looked at the clock on one of the walls and was shocked to see that it was eleven o'clock at night. He wondered where Kisame was, but wasn't worried; he guessed that the shark-nin must have fallen asleep while watching TV in the common room.

Despite the late hour, Itachi wanted to take a shower. Once the water was warm enough, he stripped off his clothes and walked into the shower, shutting the door behind him. He let the scalding water seep into the pores of his skin, warming up his shivering body. He took his time washing his hair; he really needed to relax.

But Itachi couldn't. He just couldn't, not with the memory that was now burned into his mind replaying itself over and over again. He snapped his eyes shut, sinking to the floor of the shower, holding his head. _I can still see him, _he thought, biting his lip. _I can still hear him. Kami, I can still _feel_ him inside me! _At that thought, the raven-haired man bit his lip so hard, he tasted blood. He curled his legs to his chest, and leaned against the wall, shaking uncontrollably. At that moment, he realized that while what he experienced was just someone else's memory, Deidara, the owner of that memory, had gone through it in reality. _He probably feels this way every day!_ This realization made his heart break for the blonde. _To make him experience _that _again, seven times? Sasuke, what happened to you? _

Deep down, Itachi knew that this was partially his fault. If he hadn't told his brother to hate him, to get stronger so he'd be able to kill him, maybe all of this could have been prevented. _No. You needed to make him think that the people of the Uchiha clan were the protectors of the village! He could never know the truth!_

His breathing sped up, and he gripped his head even harder, only vaguely aware that his nails were digging into his skin. He didn't even notice that someone had run into the room until he was standing in front of the shower.

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Kisame threw the door open, looking concerned. "Itachi?" he called, eyes wide. "What the hell happened to you? Didn't you hear me calling your name?"

At the moment, the younger man seemed to be unable to speak. He stared dully at the floor, still gripping his head.

The Kiri-nin grabbed a towel and draped it over the raven-haired man, satisfied that it covered all the parts it needed to. He kneeled down to the Uchiha's level, not caring that his pants were getting soaked, and gently pulled Itachi's hands away from his head. "Itachi, you're bleeding. Why did you do this to yourself?"

"I'm sorry, Kisame," he whispered, eyes still unfocused. "Everything's all my fault! If I never told Sasuke to hate me…" He let the sentence trail off.

"Itachi! Slow down; you're going too fast! What happened?" Kisame was alarmed; he had never seen his partner act like this before. Ever. _Whatever happened must've been bad! _No matter how cliché it sounded, Kisame considered the raven-haired man to be his best friend, and he hated to see him in such a vulnerable state.

The blue-skinned man's eyes widened as Itachi explained how Sasuke tortured Aoi and Deidara, and how later, the middle Uchiha experienced Deidara's memories from the blonde's and Sasuke's perspectives.

"So you felt everything? Even when Deidara-san was being…?" Kisame felt sick just _thinking _the sentence.

Itachi closed his eyes again. He barely nodded, but the gesture didn't go unnoticed. "That's sick!" the shark-nin spat, a disgusted look appearing on his face. _Sasuke, you didn't just torture Deidara; you really messed up Itachi's mind as well! _He would never tell his partner this, but he was glad that the youngest Uchiha was dead. "Are you hurt? Physically, I mean." Kisame knew that the raven-haired man was broken emotionally.

"I'm fine, Kisame. It's no big deal; my entire body just aches."

"Like you've just been raped?" snapped the Kiri-nin. "Come on, Itachi. I know you're in a lot of pain. Cut the stoic crap and let me help you!" He placed a hand on the Uchiha's shoulder, eyes widening as he felt the younger man's skin. "You're burning up!" He put his other hand on his forehead. "You have a fever. You should go to bed; it's almost midnight."

"I can't move, Kisame. My body won't let me," the Uchiha whispered hoarsely.

The older man was alarmed. _All this happened because he looked into a _memory? _There's got to be more to it than that! _He knew that Itachi had left something out of his explanation, something important. _But what?_

He was broken out of his thoughts when the raven-haired man suddenly drew in his breath and put a hand over his eyes. "Itachi?"

"I'm fine!" Itachi rasped. "My eyes just burn. Nothing to worry about."

It was then that Kisame knew Itachi wasn't going to get up anytime soon. _I just can't leave him here; he'll get even sicker by lying on the wet floor. _Suddenly, he knew what to do. He gently picked up the smaller man, gritting his teeth as he softly winced. _I'm sorry, Itachi, I'm trying not to hurt you. _

Once Itachi was placed on his bed, Kisame removed the soaking wet towel, wrapping a dry one around his partner. After, he covered the Uchiha with his blanket, making sure that he was warm enough. _Sleep well, Itachi. You need it. _As the raven-haired man closed his eyes, the shark-nin thought of something. "I think you should stop looking into people's memories, Itachi; it's not good for you. Promise me you won't."

"Sure," said Itachi, drowsily, "I promise, Kisame."

Satisfied with the answer, the blue-skinned man walked to his own bed. He knew he needed sleep, but every time he closed his eyes, he saw the image of his partner when he first found him in the shower, and felt sick. After awhile, he was finally able to fall into a dreamless sleep.

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Aoi woke up in a room unfamiliar to her. Looking around, she realized that she was in Pein and Konan's room. "What happened?" she groaned.

Konan, who was at her desk, answered, "After your bath, you were so tired, you walked over to Pein's bed and fell asleep on it. I didn't have the heart to move you."

Aoi felt slightly sickened. "I fell asleep…on _Pein's _bed?"

"Don't worry; I made him sleep in Zetsu-san and Madara-san's room last night," reassured the origami artist.

Aoi nodded, her body relaxing. That's when she noticed that she was naked except for her panties. _Okay. I'm pretty much naked in Pein's bed. That sort of creeps me out. _Shaking the strange—and disturbing—thoughts from her head, she asked, "Hey, Konan-san? Could you help me with my bandages?"

"Of course." The blue-haired woman grabbed a roll of gauze from a shelf and gently—and expertly—wrapped up Aoi's chest.

Once Konan was finished, the brunette said, "Thanks. Oh, and Konan-san, I need to borrow a shirt and some pants." She knew that the Ame-nin was much taller and curvier than she was, but she wasn't about to go walking around the base half-naked.

"Here," stated Konan, holding out a pair of shorts and a tank-top. "These are the smallest clothes I have. You'll have to make due with them until you get back to your room."

"Thank you, Konan-san," answered Aoi, taking the clothes. She had to roll up the shorts for them to fit properly. This made them really short. The top was also low-cut, and it showed some of her bandages. "Do I look okay?" she asked, not used to wearing an outfit so skimpy.

"Aoi-san, you look sexy!" exclaimed Konan, chuckling. "You should wear clothes like this more often; they really show off your figure!"

"What figure?" Aoi laughed. "My chest is flat, and I have fewer curves than a straight line!"

"Aoi-san, you're beautiful in your own way," sighed the blue-haired woman.

The brunette smiled, happy to receive a complement from the normally-silent woman. "Thanks." Walking towards the door, she continued. "I'm going to get some breakfast; I'm starving!"

Konan nodded. "Goodbye, Aoi-san. And if you ever need to talk, I'm here for you. Plus, you don't have to be embarrassed when it's your…time of the month. The last time you asked me for products, you looked so scared. I'm not _that _intimidating, am I?" The origami artist winked, holding the door open for Aoi.

"Thanks. Bye, Konan-san." Aoi left the room, thinking, _Wow. Who'd have thought _Konan _would be so, so…friendly. She always seemed so serious in the manga. _Now, the brunette thought of the older woman as the sister she never had.

The rest of the day seemed to pass quickly for Aoi, and soon dinner was over. Deidara and the rest of the Akatsuki, minus Pein and Sasori, were watching an action movie. All Aoi wanted to do was draw, so she walked back to her room, alone.

When she walked into the room, she saw Sasori sitting in his favorite chair, reading another book on puppetry. He looked up, and his eyes seemed to widen as he saw what she was wearing.

"Are those Konan-san's clothes?" he asked.

"How did you know?" replied Aoi.

"Well, none of _us _wear clothes that…revealing. You look great, by the way."

"Why do people keep saying that?" Aoi was truly confused. Back in her world, she had only been teased for looking the way she did.

"You really don't know?" Sasori tilted his head. "You're beautiful, Aoi!"

"In what ways? I'm as flat as an eleven year old boy, as short as one, too, and paler than Hidan!" Aoi didn't know why she blurted out everything to the redhead; it just happened.

"Let's see," stated the puppet master. "You have flawless skin, eternal youth and beauty, and perfect eyes. You're just like a beautiful porcelain doll."

Aoi was stunned. No one had ever called her beautiful before, not even her own parents. She always just assumed that she looked boring; not beautiful, but not ugly. Just…there. "T-thank you!"

The redhead just smiled as he got up, closing the door and locking it. "We need some alone time," he smirked.

"Is that such a good idea? What about Pein?"

"What about him?" Sasori retorted. "Since we've been avoiding each other all day, he thinks that we're not together anymore."

Aoi opened her mouth to object, but the puppeteer crushed his lips onto hers before she could even say anything.

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As Sasori kissed Aoi, a new feeling crept through his body. He had no idea what it was, but he was feeling heat spread throughout the inside of his body. _What the hell is this? _He brushed it aside as he continued to kiss Aoi, fiercer and faster than before.

As he thought of the brunette's pale, exposed skin, the feeling intensified, the fire spreading to places where he was sure it wasn't supposed to be. He moved his lips downward to the girl's neck, kissing it and nipping it.

He finally released Aoi, his face burning. He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward her cot, gently but firmly pushing her down on it. When she didn't resist, he lowered himself onto it as well, kissing her as he pulled off her shirt, then the bandages. As he reached for her shorts, she whimpered.

That caused Sasori to stop what he was about to do and look at her. When he glanced at her, he saw that she was terrified, her eyes wide with fear. _What the hell am I doing? _He got off of her, looking down in shame.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, wrapping her arms around herself, covering her chest. "I'm such a baby."

"Why are _you _apologizing? I was the one taking things too far, too fast!"

"It's all right." The girl looked down at her blanket. "I'm just not ready." She hollowly laughed. "I must be the only person my age to say that!"

Sasori cupped her chin in his hands. "That's a _good_ thing, you know. There's nothing wrong with saving yourself for the right person." He paused, then continued, stroking her hair. "When I first joined the Akatsuki, women would throw themselves at me every time I went on a mission. Sometimes they even went after Orochimaru too. It was disgusting! That's one of the reasons why I started traveling in Hiruko."

Aoi smiled, silently chuckling. "I, I know you're the…right person, but I'm just not ready to take things that far yet." She suddenly seemed to realize something. "Um, you _are_ based on human anatomy, aren't you?" She blushed.

"Well, yes, I am. How else did you think I would…?" He let the end of his sentence trail off.

"How does that even work?" She blushed even more furiously.

"I don't know. I've never really thought about it before. Never had the desire to." _Until now. _He realized that he had once again lost control of his emotions, and was slightly frightened about what he almost did to Aoi.

"Um, Sasori? Would you rewrap my bandages?" asked the brunette. "It would be really awkward if Deidara came in here with me looking like…this."

The puppeteer nodded, grabbing the bandages that he had ripped off the girl and carefully rewrapped them. While he was doing this, he studied every inch of her exposed chest. If Aoi noticed, she didn't say anything.

Once he was done, he gave Aoi back her shirt, which she quickly put on. "Once again, I am sorry," he finally said.

"It's all right," Aoi answered, quietly. "It will happen one day. Just not anytime soon."

"I can wait," the redhead stated smoothly.

"You know, that's really ironic," she laughed.

Sasori unlocked the door, letting himself laugh for the first time in many years.

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Madara paced his room. He had seen the little 'interaction' between Deidara and Itachi the night before, though Pein hadn't. The eldest Uchiha was intrigued. _Is there something going on between those two? _He was sure there was. _Hmm, I wonder if I can make this work in my favor._

Uchiha Madara was a manipulator, forever twisting the lives of others into various plots and plans of his design. He was starting to get annoyed with his relative, and was trying to think of a plan that would really get under the younger Uchiha's skin.

After a moment of thinking, a smirk appeared on his face. _I've got it! If Itachi really is in love with Deidara, nothing will hurt him more than to lose him. To me. _He chuckled at the thought. _And I'll gain something from this as well! _Madara thought that the bomber was actually quite good-looking, beautiful, even. _Even if I don't love him at all, if he falls for me, it would be…fun…to play with him for a bit, until he bores me, at least. _Smirking, the eldest Uchiha thought of all the things he could do to the Iwa-nin. Shivering in delight, he fantasized for a bit more until he realized the time. He had a meeting with Pein in five minutes, and needed to get ready for it.

After he was fully dressed, he grabbed his obnoxiously bright orange mask, wrinkling his nose in distaste. Oh, how he hated that mask. And his 'Tobi' persona too. But he knew they were beneficial to his plan. He slipped the mask over his face, and ran to the meeting room. He didn't want to unnecessarily anger Pein.

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And that's the end of Chapter Thirty-Two, and the end of this drama arc! The next arc will be how Aoi, Sasori, and Deidara go after Gaara.

Kisame's part was interesting for me to write. I actually like him a lot (he's one of my five favorite Akatsuki members) so I wanted to write his character well. I hope I didn't make him—or Itachi for that matter—OOC. I was worried about Itachi's part, but I believe he'd have a breakdown if his brother dies, and then experiences something even more traumatic. There's probably only so much he could take before he finally just snaps.

…Yeah, Sasori doesn't like the new emotions he's feeling, lolz. I hope that scene wasn't too awkward; I haven't even gotten my first kiss yet, so I'm not sure how to describe intimate scenes XD.

…Yep, Madara's back. In future arcs, he won't be completely evil, he just seems that way at the beginning.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	34. Chapter ThirtyThree: Unorthodox

Welcome to Chapter Thirty-Three! This one starts the new story arc (which I have affectionately dubbed the 'Gaara arc'). This arc will be a combination of both adventure and drama. It will also include some other characters besides the Akatsuki.

…In other news, I officially hate school buses! The kids on my bus are not just obnoxious and annoying, they are also truly _mean. _A few of them teased me because I'm a senior, yet I still ride the bus. Honestly, taunts from underclassmen don't bother me; I just ignore them and listen to my mp3 player. Though it did kind of shock me; I've never been teased before. I wonder if most people's buses are like this…

Anyways, this chapter will be about Madara, Itachi, and Aoi.

This chapter timeskips two weeks.

*Warning: This chapter contains Madara's sadistic thoughts* (Lolz)

Many thanks go to everyone who reviewed and/or added this to their favorites/alerts lists. You're all awesome!

I don't own Naruto.

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Chapter Thirty-Three: Unorthodox

Madara smirked as he walked into Itachi's room. _It's finally time for me to set things in motion. _Once he knew that Kisame wasn't in the room with the raven-haired man, the oldest Uchiha pulled off his mask, placing it on the desk in the room.

"Madara," Itachi said coldly.

"Itachi." Madara nodded. "I have come to tell you some…interesting…things I have noticed. I saw what happened between you and Deidara two weeks ago; I know he kissed you."

The younger Uchiha stiffened. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't play dumb with me; I saw it with my own eyes. You're in love with him, aren't you? I know you've been avoiding him like the plague, but you look at him often. It's _obvious, _Itachi."

"Does Pein know?" murmured the younger man. Madara noticed that he didn't deny his statement, and smirked.

"No, he doesn't know," he replied. "But I'm warning you, Itachi, if you keep avoiding him, _someone else _will swoop in and take him." Madara knew the gears were turning in his relative's head, figuring out the meaning behind those words.

"Leave him alone, _Madara_," Itachi hissed. "You're not good for him. You don't even love him at all."

"That may be true, but that doesn't mean I won't have fun with him, should he ever want me."

The raven-haired man's eyes narrowed. "How will he want you if he doesn't know who you really are? You're just Tobi to him. A nuisance."

"I'll make him." Madara pointed to his eyes. "There are a lot of things these eyes can do." He paused, letting the information sink into Itachi's head.

"No!" This was almost shouted. "How could you even _think _of doing that? Plus, Pein would kill you if any of the other members find out who you really are."

"My dear Itachi, did you not hear what I just said?" The older man narrowed his eyes. "There are a _lot _of things my eyes can do. Such as block certain memories."

"So you'd use him as your, your _plaything _and make sure he doesn't remember what you did to him? That's sick! Deidara's not some object you can just toy with once and throw away; he's a person!"

"Who said anything about one time?" Madara chuckled. "Until I get bored with him, I can have him as much as I want, then block his memories so he doesn't remember a single moment we spent together. He might have dreams of it, though; that seems to be a weakness in the genjutsu…"

The eldest Uchiha smirked, pleased that Itachi's face had drained of the little color it possessed and his fists were clenched. "How dare you speak of him in such a way? I'm saying this one more time: stay away from him!"

"Or what, Itachi?" sneered the older man. "You're going to scream, cry, or stomp your feet like a little child? You might be used to getting your way all the time, but it won't work on me."

"What do you want?" This was said so low, it was almost whispered.

"Nothing, at least not yet," stated Madara.

"Then why are you doing this? What can you possibly gain from it?" Itachi paused. "And I thought you liked _women_, Madara."

The oldest Uchiha smirked at this. "Man, woman, it doesn't matter, as long as whoever it is satisfies my desires. And that's your answer. It's been a _long _time, and I'm getting…restless. Your little blonde friend just caught my eye; it's not my fault he's so…appealing."

"I won't let you; I'll protect him!"

"You cannot protect him forever. And as I recall, he wanted nothing to do with you," Madara pointed out. "Though you don't have to worry; I won't go after him for awhile. I just need to figure something out. Though his memories of me will be blocked, he will still ache afterwards, as well as have bruises all over him. There is no way I can get rid of that."

"Bruises?" inquired the younger man.

Madara laughed. "I'll probably toss him around a bit before having my way with him. It's sort of my, my…style. I won't deny it. I will probably hurt him; he'll most likely be bleeding throughout my time with him, and afterwards." The older man liked how disgusted Itachi looked after this statement. _Now I've got him. He won't be able to act the same around Deidara now._

"I knew you were a sadist, but hearing you say…that…was just sick!" spat the raven-haired man. "You're speaking of Deidara like he's your slave or something! I'm disgusted to call you my relative! Now get out of my room!"

"Fine, fine!" Madara grabbed his mask and put it on, muffling his voice in the process. "Just remember this, Itachi: you'll never know when I want him." With that, he opened the door and left.

He didn't want to physically have Deidara, at least not yet. He was fine just fantasizing. But he knew that since he put the thought in Itachi's head, his younger relative would go crazy with worry for the bomber. The middle Uchiha was the intellectual, the thinker, so Madara knew that he would over think this whole situation and blow it out of proportion to the point where he was stalking the Iwa-nin, trying to protect him. _And Itachi can never explain to him exactly why he's doing it! Deidara will be so confused! This will be fun to watch; very fun indeed…_

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Itachi's breathing sped up after Madara left. _He couldn't! He _wouldn't_! There's too much at stake. He's just messing with me! _The younger Uchiha squeezed his eyes shut as he continued to think. _But what if he doesn't care, and goes after him anyways? I don't think he'll be able to take it, both mentally and physically! _He remembered what Madara said, and shivered as the image of Deidara lying on the floor of the masked man's room, bruised, bleeding, and broken entered his mind. _It's like Orochimaru all over again! Maybe worse! _Besides breaking the bomber's arm leg so he couldn't escape and raping him, the sannin didn't do much other physical damage. But Madara… Itachi had read about people like him. They liked to cause as much physical harm to their partners as much as possible during sexual encounters. Most of the time, the submissive ones in that kind of relationship liked feeling the pain, and that's what would make it work. But in this case, if Madara went through with his threats, it would be nothing but extreme torture for Deidara.

_What do I do? _he thought, grabbing his head. _I can't go to Pein; he's homophobic! Madara might hurt Konan if I inform her, so she's out! _He truly wanted to tell Kisame what was happening, but the blue-skinned man didn't realize who Tobi really was. And he could never know. _I guess this falls on my shoulders and mine alone. _His eyes narrowed in determination. _I will protect you, Deidara. I don't care if you're avoiding me now; I will keep you safe. Somehow._

A knock on the door snapped him out of his thoughts. "Come in," he said warily, still on edge because of Madara. As he saw who entered his room, he relaxed. He also realized that she might be able to help him.

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Aoi walked quietly into Itachi's room, glancing at said Uchiha, who was sitting on his bed. She was shocked at his appearance; his normally pale skin was even whiter than usual, his hands tightly gripped his blanket, and the stress lines under his eyes were more pronounced. "Itachi-san, are you feeling all right? You look sick."

Itachi looked like he wanted to tell her something, but thought against it.

"Whatever it is, you can tell me. No offense, but you look awful!" Aoi was starting to get worried about the raven-haired man. For the past two weeks he seemed to be less…composed…than he usually was.

"It's about Deidara," he finally said, gesturing for her to come closer.

The brunette found her face twisting up in disgust at Itachi's explanation. "That's sick! I could see if he really liked him, but it seems more like Madara just wants him for the pleasure he will bring him." She shook her head. "Poor Deidara; he has no luck. I will try to watch him as much as I can, Itachi-san; I won't let Madara lay a hand on him."

"Thank you, Aoi-san." Itachi seemed to finally relax. "But please be careful. If Madara finds out that you know, he won't hesitate to harm you; he's ruthless."

"I know. I just have a question for you: why do you care about Deidara so much? I thought that you were rivals."

"It's…complicated," was all the Uchiha said. "Even if we were rivals, I would never wish Madara's desires on him; after what he went through with Orochimaru, being with anyone like Madara would be pure agony for him. I can't even imagine the pain it would cause him, both physically and emotionally."

Aoi shuddered. Madara had kissed her once; it was awful.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when Pein walked into the room. "I was looking for you, Aoi-san." His voice had no hatred in it. In fact, no emotions were present in it. Ever since he had forced Sasori to poison her, the pierced man had avoided her and the redhead.

"What do you need, Pein-sama?" she asked, courteously.

"I believe that Deidara-san and Sasori-san are ready to go after Sabaku no Gaara. Since you said you knew information about him, I need you to tell me all that you know. Please follow me; we can talk in the meeting room."

Aoi nodded; she wasn't about to disobey him. As she followed the orange-haired man, she thought, _Shit! What am I going to do? I don't want them to kill Gaara! Especially not when he's trying to make himself a better person! And I don't want Sasori to die, either! _Suddenly, an idea appeared in my head. _I hope Pein will listen to me; I believe that this could work. _

When she and the Akatsuki leader finally made it into the meeting room, they sat across from each other at the table. "I have an idea, Leader-sama," stated Aoi. "I know what will happen if you send Sasori-san and Deidara-san to forcefully capture Gaara: Sasori-san will die, and Deidara-san will lose both his arms."

"Go on," said Pein, slowly.

"Well, since I know that Gaara doesn't want people to think of him as a monster, I bet he would agree to have his biju extracted, using the base outside of Suna. If there was a way for him to be brought back to life. Which there is. If Sasori-san, Deidara-san, and I went to Suna to talk to Gaara—and a few others—maybe this could be arranged."

The pierced man looked shocked, but intrigued. "How do you know he will agree to this?"

Aoi answered this smoothly. "I don't. But if I convince him and his siblings that I know what will happen if he fights the Akatsuki, they might change their minds. The biggest concern is for me to convince Chiyo, who knows the jutsu that will bring Gaara back to life, to sacrifice herself to save Gaara. Since she really doesn't give a damn about him, it will take a pretty strong argument to get her to go along with this idea. But I might be able to convince her…if she meets Haruno Sakura of Konoha." The brunette wasn't happy about this at all; Sakura and Chiyo were the ones who killed Sasori. But she knew that the pink-haired girl's determination would awaken something in Chiyo to make her care for her village once more. "What do you think, Pein-sama?"

He contemplated this, answering after a minute of silence. "It is very unorthodox, but it could possibly work. I really don't want any Akatsuki casualties, so if Deidara-san and Sasori-san will probably live, I will agree to it. Should the talks be unsuccessful, however, we will go back to the original plan of forcefully capturing Gaara. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Leader-sama." She bowed her head. "I am just glad you're giving my plan a chance."

"It seems logical enough," Pein stated. "You may leave now, Aoi-san. Find Sasori-san and Deidara-san and tell them of the mission. Also tell them to pack their bags; you're leaving in three days."

Aoi nodded and left the meeting room. _Hopefully, Gaara and his siblings will agree to talk to me, _she thought. Besides the Akatsuki, the Sand Siblings were her favorite characters. She was excited that she'd get to meet them, but she really didn't like the circumstances. _They're going to think I'm evil. _

She erased the thought from her mind as she walked back to her room, where Deidara and Sasori were working on their respective art. She would never regret getting close to the Akatsuki; they were all misfits, like her. Here at the hideout, she felt like she truly belonged.

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And that is the end of Chapter Thirty-Three. I know it was a bit shorter than most of the other chapters, but I wanted to start the next chapter with Sasori, Deidara, and Aoi leaving for Suna. This was more of an introduction to the arc, setting up the plot.

I know that Madara's and Itachi's parts took up most of this chapter, but I wanted to show the growing tension between them. Most of the chapters in this arc will be about Aoi, Sasori, Deidara, and Gaara, so I wanted to include one more chapter with Madara and Itachi, since they won't appear for awhile.

Speaking of Madara, his part was difficult for me to write. I wanted to make him seem extra creepy, aggressive, and predatory in this chapter. (I think I succeeded; I creeped myself out when I re-read his part o_0)

Itachi is becoming as protective of Deidara as Sasori is for Aoi, lolz. I hope he didn't seem too OOC.

I think that Aoi's part seemed rushed, but I really wanted to move the story along. More information will be given about her plan in the next chapter.

I'm just so excited; I get to write about Gaara soon!

I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	35. Chapter ThirtyFour: The Journey Begins

Welcome to Chapter Thirty-Four! This might seem like a filler because all Sasori, Aoi, and Deidara are doing is traveling to Sunagakure, but there are some important parts in it.

Considering how creepy Madara was in the last chapter, this one will seem really boring. More of Aoi's plan is revealed, though.

This chapter timeskips three days, so they just left the Akatsuki base, and it focuses on Aoi, Sasori, and…Gaara! (Yay!)

Many thanks go to everyone who reviewed!

…Guess what? I own Naruto! (Sadly, I don't. If I did, none of the Akatsuki members would have died).

On another note, I am so sorry for not posting for ten days! I was so stressed out because of English papers and my AP GoPo class. Well, I was stressed out because of school in general, lolz. I also had a terrible cold, and didn't feel like posting because of it. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter!

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Chapter Thirty-Four: The Journey Begins

Aoi smiled as she took a deep breath of fresh air. Despite being in Ame, tiny rays of sunshine peeked through the perpetual cover of clouds. She found it unusual as to how mild the temperature was for early January, but didn't think twice about it; she hated the cold weather, and would prefer it to be hot over freezing.

"We expect to make it to Suna in a week and two days," stated Sasori. "But only if we keep up this rapid pace."

Deidara nodded, and Aoi just grunted. She didn't have the heart to tell her traveling companions that since she wasn't a ninja, she didn't have the stamina they did. _I'll just deal with it the best I can; I need the exercise. _

After the first four days of walking, Aoi was drained. Her legs felt rubbery and numb, but she didn't say a word to Sasori or Deidara. She knew that getting to Suna as fast as possible was part of the mission.

When it was finally time to set up camp for the night, she dropped onto her sleeping bag as soon as it was laid out. Though she was trying to get to sleep, she heard her friends' voices, though they were muffled, in the background.

"I think we should slow the pace, just a tad, un." That voice obviously belonged to Deidara.

"Why? Pein said that it was of great importance that we reach Suna as fast as we possibly could." Aoi's breathing quickened as she heard the redhead's voice.

"Haven't you noticed that Aoi has been lagging behind?" asked the bomber. "I think she might be getting sick or something, un."

"Damn it!" Aoi heard something akin to a slap, and silently snickered when she realized that Sasori just facepalmed. "I was so concentrated on getting to Suna that I forgot that she doesn't have the same stamina levels as we do. Why didn't she just tell us to slow down?"

"I think she was worried about being a burden, un," stated the blonde. "Ever since the…incident…I noticed she seemed to be very concerned about her place in the organization." Aoi knew he was talking about when Pein forced Sasori to poison her. She was surprised—and touched—that Deidara had been so observant.

"We'll slow down tomorrow; we're already ahead of schedule," said the puppet master. "What Pein doesn't know won't hurt him."

Aoi had heard enough. They were going to walk slower, and at the moment, that was all that mattered to her. Her breathing started to slow, and she closed her eyes, falling into a peaceful sleep.

The next morning, after the three travelers ate the dried fish that was their breakfast, they continued onward towards Suna, albeit at a slower pace. Aoi—whose aching legs were grateful—noted this, but said nothing. She was content with Sasori and Deidara caring enough to slow down for her.

During the middle of the day, it was starting to get unbearably hot, and Aoi fanned herself, trying—and failing—to cool down. She looked at her two companions in awe when she realized that they were still wearing the heavy, black cloaks that were the Akatsuki's trademark. She was about to ask them how they could wear such an outfit when Sasori spoke first.

"I was wondering what we're doing when we get to Suna. I know what your basic plan is, but how the hell are you going to talk to Gaara in the first place? He's the Kazekage!"

Aoi had thought about this, and had a confident answer for the redhead. "I brought along the clothes I wore when I was first summoned here. Before we reach the gates to the village, I'll change into them, and walk up to the guards, stating that I have 'urgent business' I have to discuss with the Kazekage. Since I have no chakra, and won't even bother masking it, they'll probably let me in. If they question me, I'll say that I'm from another world, and I know how to save Gaara from the clutches of the Akatsuki."

Sasori nodded. "What will we do? We obviously can't just waltz in."

"I thought of that, too," replied the brunette. "Both of you can do a Henge no Jutsu and mask your chakra signatures. Disguised as travelers, you can get a room at an inn close to the Kazekage's residence and stay there until you are needed, which is after I convince Gaara, his siblings, and…" she grimaced, "…Haruno Sakura and Chiyo to go along with the rest of the plan."

The puppet master tilted his head. "That actually seems plausible; you really thought this through, didn't you?"

Aoi smiled, glad that he didn't think her plan was stupid. "Thank you! Do you really think it will work?"

"If you really know all about Gaara, then I'm pretty sure it will. You'll have to be a damn good debater to convince my grandmother, though. I've kept an eye on her throughout the years; she isn't someone who will agree to this in a snap."

She sighed. "I know. Sakura too. She doesn't take kindly to the Akatsuki, especially after Kisame-san and Itachi-san attacked Naruto two-and-a-half years ago."

"Who's Naruto, un?" asked Deidara.

"He's the Kyuubi jinchuriki," explained Aoi. Wrinkling her nose, she continued. "I'm going to have to befriend Sakura to gain her trust."

"You really don't like that girl, do you, un?" asked the blonde, slightly smirking.

"No, I don't." Her voice suddenly went cold. "In my dreams, she and Chiyo are the ones who…well, you know what I'm talking about." The Iwa-nin nodded, looking at his partner. "She just didn't understand," she added. "She didn't—and probably still doesn't—understand true loneliness." Aoi turned to Sasori. "She was trying to sound noble by asking you how you couldn't feel any emotions, but I thought she sounded condescending, like she thought she knew everything. From what I knew of her, she had a good home, with loving parents. She couldn't possibly understand what it was like for you, for…us. She's just a, a…brat! I can't stand her!"

She looked up at her two friends, only just realizing that she was glancing at the ground during her rant. Deidara's visible eye was widened in shock, while Sasori's were narrowed. _What did I say?_

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"Wow. Just, wow, Aoi," said the bomber. "I never thought you could sound so…cold, un."

"Don't let your feelings get in the way of the mission, though," the puppeteer cautioned. "If you need to befriend her, do it." He gently grabbed her hand; there was no Pein here.

"I'll remember that," the girl muttered. "It's just that…Sakura reminds me of a lot of the girls back in my world, so shallow and naïve. I acted friendly to them, so she will be no exception." Suddenly, her eyes snapped wide open. "Shit! I just thought of something!"

"What?" asked Sasori, looking concernedly at the brunette.

"I just remembered! What am I going to say about Sasuke? Sakura's completely _obsessed _with the bastard!"

"Why don't you just tell her that he was killed by Kabuto, un?" suggested Deidara. "That _is _the truth."

"That seems like it would work. Okay; I'll go with that." Sasori noticed that Aoi seemed reassured by this suggestion. He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her.

"You'll do fine. You should be focusing on how to talk to Gaara, though, not Sakura."

She smiled. "I'll have no problem talking to Gaara. Despite him being your enemy, I actually respect him. Plus, he understands loneliness even more than I do. I know he'll agree to this; all he wants to do is fit in with his society."

After this discussion, the rest of the journey seemed to move faster. On the seventh day, Aoi passed out because of fatigue. Sasori carried her without a complaint, even though it would have been more logical to let Deidara, who was taller, do it.

On the ninth day, they finally reached the gates of Suna. Before they approached them, Aoi changed into her original clothes. Once that was finished, Deidara and Sasori performed the Henge no Jutsu on themselves. The former had turned into a tanned man with brown hair and gray eyes, while the latter turned into a pale man with black hair and pale blue eyes.

"Wow!" laughed Aoi. "You look so different!" Her voice turning more serious, she continued. "Wait at least ten minutes after I enter the village before walking up to the gates; I want to make sure that the guards think I came alone."

The two men nodded. Sasori pulled something out of his pocket and placed it in Aoi's hand. "It's a wireless earpiece. Use it to talk to us whenever you have a moment alone, or if you're in danger. Press the button on the back of it to turn it on."

"Thank you," she said, putting it into the pocket of her pants. Suddenly, she fiercely wrapped her arms around the redhead. He wove his hand through her hair and kissed her passionately. He would have continued to do so until he heard Deidara cough,

"Okay, I think I've seen enough, un."

As he and Aoi ended the kiss, he saw that she was blushing furiously. She let go of the puppeteer, and stood between him and the blonde. "I love you guys," she said seriously. "Honestly, I don't know what I would do without you. If…something happens, and I end up dying, please take my body back to the base. Sasori, I give you permission to make my body into a puppet."

Sasori felt as though all the life was being squeezed out of his heart. "Don't think like that; you said it yourself that Gaara is a fair Kazekage."

"Yes," Aoi retorted sadly, "but there always is a possibility something might happen. I'm just saying that if it does, I'd rather become one of your beautiful works of art than rot in the dirt."

The redhead was surprised at how morbid she was thinking. "I didn't think you were the type to contemplate death at such an early age."

"I'm actually terrified of it," whispered the brunette. "Dying is my greatest fear. I just thought it was something I should mention before I leave."

Before she could say anything else, Sasori kissed her once more.

Pulling away, she softly smiled, running toward the gates. The puppet master was only able to read her lips as she turned around and said, "Thanks. I love you."

_I love you too, Aoi, _he thought. _You better live. _

00000

Gaara sat alone in his office, looking out at the setting sun, as he usually did every day. He was snapped out of his thoughts when someone knocked at the door. Without being given permission to enter, the person opened the door and quickly ran into the room. It was one of the people on the council.

"Kazekage-sama!" he exclaimed. "There's someone here who said she needs to see you. She says that she comes from a different world, and that she knows all about you."

The young man narrowed his eyes, which were heavily rimmed with black due to chronic insomnia. _What? _he thought. _Does she really know everything about me? Maybe she knows my past maybe she understands. No. No one understands. _

However, Gaara removed himself from his chair, slowly walking over to the man. "Take me to her," he commanded.

The councilman nodded, gesturing for the leader of Suna to follow him. After what seemed to be an eternity of walking, the two finally made it outside.

Gaara tilted his head, his sea-green eyes slightly widening as he looked at the girl who stood in front of him. Though she was dressed in what seemed to be boys' clothes, the redhead knew that she was indeed female. She was quite short, shorter than himself, and also very skinny. But what caught the young Kazekage's attention was her skin. It was pale. Unnaturally pale. "Why have you requested to talk to me, girl?" he asked. _What gives me the right to talk to her like that? _he thought, immediately regretting his commanding tone. Though he was the leader of Suna, he wanted people to respect him, not to fear him. _An impossible dream, considering what I am. _

"My name is Coulter Aoi, Kazekage-sama." She bowed to him. "And I wish to speak with you in private."

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And that's the end of Chapter Thirty-Four!

I know this was a terrible way to end the chapter, but I wanted to save Gaara's and Aoi's conversation for the next chapter.

This was a short chapter, and it probably wasn't very good because I was working on Precalculus homework while I was writing this. (Damn factorials! Who knew that exclamation points can be used in math! XD)

Anyways, I will be returning to my regular updating schedule! Once again, I am sorry for making everyone wait; I myself am an impatient person, so I felt like a hypocrite, lolz.

I will be introducing Sakura in the next chapter, as well as the rest of the Sand Siblings.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and that Gaara isn't too OOC; this is my first time writing about him, and I didn't want to butcher his character.


	36. Chapter ThirtyFive: Betrayal

Welcome to Chapter Thirty-Five! This one will contain Aoi's and Gaara's conversation, the introduction of the rest of the Sand Sibs, and more!

Yesterday night, the worst blizzard since 1999 hit my area. My school let out early yesterday, was closed today, and is closed tomorrow. I'm so excited; my school never has snow days; this was my first one in two years!

…Anyways, Sakura is introduced in this chapter. I'm warning you now that she'll seem like a bitch at certain parts, but there is a reason for it.

This chapter will focus on Aoi, Sakura, and Gaara. (No Akatsuki members get a part in this chapter, lolz).

A big thank-you goes out to everyone who reviewed and/or added this story to their favorites/alerts lists.

I don't own Naruto.

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Chapter Thirty-Five: Betrayal

Aoi followed Gaara into his office. He shut the door behind him and covered the windows with their curtains. "What do you have to tell me, Aoi-san?" he asked.

"Before I tell you, I first have to say that I know who you are, Sabaku no Gaara." Aoi knew it was a risk to not call him 'Kazekage-sama', but said it anyways. "I know your past, including what happened with Yashamaru. I know he tried to assassinate you." She saw the redhead visibly flinch at his uncle's name, and continued. "I understand that many people think you're a monster, and I know that you must be very lonely."

"How do you know all of that?" asked Gaara, narrowing his eyes at her.

"When I was in my world, I had dreams of you. I saw your childhood, what happened during the Chunin Exams, etc. Despite what people said, I knew you weren't a monster, Gaara-sama. It's not your fault you're a jinchuriki. This might sound weird to you, but I actually relate to you."

The leader of Suna tilted his head, looking confused. Aoi continued her explanation, telling Gaara all about her life, including what happened with Daisy Adams. When she was finished, he sat down in his chair, beckoning her to sit on the one next to it. She complied.

After she sat down, the redhead began to speak. "You do know a lot about me, and you seem to actually understand me. But you didn't come here to tell me that, Aoi-san. What is it that you want?"

Aoi was prepared for this one; she had been practicing what she was going to say during the entire journey to Suna. "Well, Kazekage-sama, I've been in this world for about two months. Since I was somehow summoned here, I have been having dreams of your…death." Gaara's eyes widened, and she continued. "You die by having the Shukaku extracted from you by the Akatsuki." She didn't mention that Chiyo revived him. "However, I also had a dream that showed me how to prevent that."

Now the young Kazekage looked interested. "How? I cannot die; my village needs me."

_I've got him, _thought Aoi. "That's why I came here. Some people that I met during my time here know how to extract the Shukaku from you. This will put you in a death-like state. An elder in your village—Chiyo-sama—knows a jutsu that will bring you back to life. After this, you will be free of the beast, and will be able to live a normal life."

The brunette felt a twinge of guilt when she saw Gaara's expression turn slightly hopeful. She truly respected the redhead, and didn't like lying to him. _I'm sorry, Gaara. _But she knew that if her plan worked, it would be a win-win situation for both the Akatsuki and Gaara. The former would get a tailed beast, while the latter would not bear the burden of being a jinchuriki. _This is for the best._

"You do know that Chiyo-sama won't agree to this, right?" Gaara asked, tilting his head once more.

_He almost looks like Sasori when he does that. _Aoi shut her eyes. _No, I mustn't get distracted. I must think of the mission, and only the mission. _Aloud, she replied, "I know. And I know someone who might be able to convince her. Would it be possible for Haruno Sakura to come here?"

"Sakura-san? Why her?" the leader of Suna looked confused.

Aoi answered this with ease. "I had dreams where Sakura-san's youth and determination brought out a seldom-seen side of Chiyo-sama. One that cares about you, and the future of Suna."

Gaara nodded. "My sister is in Konoha. She was helping out with the Chunin exams, but she decided to stay longer, for some reason."

_Hmm, is it because of Shikamaru? _Aoi asked herself, smiling. She personally thought that they would make a cute couple.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when he continued. "I can arrange for both Temari and Sakura-san to come back here. It will take four days, though: one to get the message to Konoha, and three for their journey."

"That's fine, Kazekage-sama." Aoi was relieved. Everything was going according to plan.

Four days had passed since her conversation with Gaara. Said Kazekage gave her permission to sleep in one of the guest rooms in his building. As soon as he left her, she relayed all her information to Sasori and Deidara. They basically told her to 'keep up the good work' and 'stay safe'.

On the second day of her stay at the Kazekage's residence, she met Kankuro. She impressed the puppeteer with her knowledge of Karasu, Kuroari, and Sanshōuo, and he was happy that someone outside of Temari and himself didn't treat Gaara like a monster. Despite his warm personality and outgoingness, the black-clad boy reminded Aoi of Sasori.

She was with Kankuro when one of the councilmen approached them, stating, "Kankuro-san, Aoi-san, Temari-san and Sakura-san have arrived. Kazekage-sama has requested that you meet them at the gates."

She and Kankuro nodded, running in the direction of the main gates. They got there just in time to see two kunoichi—one pink-haired and the other with a large fan strapped to her back—enter the village.

"Hey, Kankuro!" called Temari. "Is that the girl that Gaara was talking about in his letter?"

The puppeteer nodded. "Her name's Aoi-san. Ask her to tell you anything about yourself; she'll know the answer!"

"Okay." The pigtailed girl looked confused, but went along with the request. "Aoi-san, when the Sound Five attacked Konoha, which of the shinobi did Gaara, Kankuro, and I aid?"

_That's an easy one! _"Well, Kankuro-san helped out Inuzuka Kiba, who was being attacked by Sakon and Ukon. You assisted Nara Shikamaru in defeating Tayuya. Finally, Gaara-sama and Rock Lee defeated Kaguya Kimimaro."

"How do you know all this?" This time, Sakura spoke.

"I come from a different world," answered Aoi. She was uneasy looking at the Konoha-nin, but she tried to make her voice pleasant. "Every night, I had dreams about all of you. Two months ago, I was somehow summoned here."

"Okay," answered Sakura. "But why did Gaara-sama make us come here?"

As Aoi repeated what she had told Gaara, Kankuro, Temari, and Sakura's eyes widened.

"Can that demon seriously be removed from him?" Kankuro looked overjoyed. "If so, I bet people would respect him more!"

Temari nodded in agreement. Only Sakura looked unsure.

As the day went on, Kankuro and Temari had business to attend to, leaving Aoi alone with Sakura. Despite Suna being in a desert, the pink-haired girl suggested that they go to a local hot spring in order to get to know one another better. Aoi agreed; she definitely needed to befriend Sakura for the whole plan to work correctly.

Since the weather was so warm, she and Sakura were the only people in the women's bath. The Konoha-nin quickly stripped off her clothes and slid into the pool.

Aoi was a bit self-conscious; in the United States, public bathing wasn't popular. She slowly removed her clothes and quickly got into the pool, not looking Sakura in the eyes.

She did meet the other girl's gaze when she let out a gasp and said, "What happened to you, Aoi-san?"

Aoi realized that her puppet arm was exposed, as well as the chakra device. "Oh," she said softly. "Those are from when Orochimaru kidnapped me almost two months ago. He tested all sorts of horrible experiments out on me, because I don't have any chakra…" she let the end of her sentence trail off. When she saw Sakura look at her with concern, she realized she could use this information to her advantage. Her stomach tightened as she realized how manipulative she was being; she didn't like it.

"That bastard always creeped me out!" the younger girl exclaimed. "I used to have nightmares of him and his disgusting tongue!"

"Yeah, his tongue is…eww. It's even worse when it's forced into your mouth." Aoi shuddered at the memory.

Now Sakura looked absolutely disgusted. "He kissed you? Did he…?"

"No." The brunette's voice went cold. "He ended up raping my best friend."

"Is she okay?" Sakura whispered.

"_He's _fine now, but he still doesn't like people getting too close to him."

"I can't even imagine what that must have been like for the poor guy." The green-eyed girl shivered, despite the warm water of the bath.

"He ended up killing the bastard the same night, while he was…distracted."

"Wait." Sakura stared intently at Aoi. "You're saying that Orochimaru is _dead_? That's amazing!" She paused, then continued talking. "You wouldn't happen to know where Uchiha Sasuke is, would you?"

_Crap, crap crap! Remember what Deidara told you; just tell the truth. _"Yes," Aoi answered hesitantly. "But he is dead; Yakushi Kabuto killed him."

The pink haired girl looked like she had just been slapped. "Dead?" she murmured. "Sasuke-kun is…dead?" Her eyes started to fill with tears.

The brunette narrowed her eyes. "Don't cry for him, Sakura-san. He was not the teammate you once knew. After Orochimaru's death, two of my friends and I decided to go back to the base to destroy it. Your _Sasuke-kun _was waiting for us. He was upset that my best friend killed what he called his 'source of power', so he tortured him physically and psychologically."

The younger girl continued to cry as she got out of the bath and wrapped a towel around herself. Aoi did the same. She was starting to get agitated at Sakura's grief for the youngest Uchiha, so she snapped, "Stop crying! I know you used to love him, but when I met him, he was different! He tortured me, Sakura-san! He was going to _rape _me to rebuild his clan and get revenge on Itachi-san! If Sasori didn't intervene when he did, I probably wouldn't be here!"

At this, Sakura stopped crying, her eyes narrowing to slits. "Sasori? As in _Akasuna no Sasori_?"

_Shit! _Aoi realized exactly what she just said. She had slipped up. Big time.

00000

Sakura became furious after Aoi ranted about Sasuke. "Akasuna no Sasori is a member of the Akatsuki," she stated coldly. "You're with them, aren't you? That's why you wanted Gaara's demon removed!"

The older girl became very flustered, which confirmed the pink-haired kunoichi's suspicions. "N-n-no!" she stammered. "How could I be a member? I have no chakra!"

"Okay, so you're not a member. You're probably their _whore _or something! I'll bet you slept with all of them!"

"No," Aoi whispered. "I've never slept with any of them."

"That makes sense, considering you're pale and ugly!" Sakura was enraged; the Akatsuki was the organization that tried to capture Naruto two-and-a-half years before.

"Just listen to me, please, you don't understand."

Hearing the smaller girl's pleas only angered her more. _How dare she act so innocent! _"Shut up, you _traitor_! I bet you were planning to attack this village all along!"

"No!" She shouted. "I was never going to attack Sunagakure!"

"Yeah, right!" scoffed the green-eyed girl. "And I bet all that stuff you told me about Orochimaru and your friend were lies too!"

"Everything I told you was true." The brunette's voice became cold. "Deidara did get raped by Orochimaru."

"Deidara? As in Iwa no Deidara, the bomber?" spat Sakura. "If it's true, than good! He deserves to feel pain and fear! He's a murderer for Kami's sake!"

"But he's still a human being," Aoi retorted.

"Not to me, he's not! I'm glad Orochimaru assaulted him! I hope the snake made him suffer; I hope that it was the most miserable and painful moment of his worthless life!" After she said this, Sakura had realized that she had gone too far. Yet she didn't care; she was just so _angry_. Aoi, who she was starting to trust, had betrayed her, and Sasuke, one of the people she loved the most, was dead.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when she felt a stinging pain on her face. She realized that Aoi had slapped her. "You, you, brat!" shouted the older girl. "How dare you call yourself a medic-nin! You should be tolerant and sympathetic to all people, no matter who they are! People like you make me sick!"

When she heard that statement, Sakura just snapped. "You bitch!" she yelled, gathering chakra into her fist and running at the girl, punching her in the stomach.

Aoi dropped to the ground, gagging. The younger girl kneeled to her level and harshly grabbed the brunette's right wrist, twisting it until she heard it snap. Rage rushing through her, she stood up, dragging Aoi by her broken limb into a standing position. Gathering more chakra into her free hand, Sakura slammed it as hard as she could onto the device on the shorter girl's chest. Tears poured from her eyes, and she let out a tortured scream.

The Konoha-nin dropped her, glancing at the blood that was now pooling around the device. "You don't even deserve to be killed by me; I'll let the desert do that," she spat. She put on her clothes and left the hot springs, never looking back.

When she got back to the Kazekage's residence, guilt began tearing at her stomach. _Shit! _she thought. _What the hell did I just do? _She realized that she had let her anger get the best of her before Aoi could tell her side of the story. She wanted to run back to the hot springs, but she knew that she wouldn't make it in time; she could sense that when she hit the device on Aoi's chest, she had damaged her heart. _I've killed her! I've killed her! And she didn't fight back! Not once! _Sakura let the tears fall freely down her face as she sank to the ground, her hands grabbing at her head. _I'm sorry._

00000

Gaara had been patrolling the village when he heard loud screams coming from the hot springs. Thinking that someone was in danger, he ran to it as fast as he could, not even caring that he ran into the women's bath. He was the protector of Sunagakure; he didn't want anyone hurt in his village. He looked down at the figure that was sprawled on the ground. He was shocked when he realized it was Aoi.

Gently rolling her onto her back, he saw that her right wrist was broken, and that blood was gushing out of a wound on her chest, staining the towel that was wrapped around her a dark crimson color.

Her eyes snapped open, though they were unfocused because of the pain. She stared into Gaara's eyes, and she relaxed. "Sasori," she whispered, a smile appearing on her face.

_Sasori? The Akatsuki member? How does she know him? Unless she's one of them. _However, at the moment, Gaara didn't care. He felt the brunette's skin getting colder by the minute, and knew she was dying. _Who did this to you? _

He heard a rustling noise behind him, and quickly stood up, the sand from his gourd hovering around him. If Aoi's attacker had come back, he would kill them without a qualm. However, he relaxed when he saw that it was only Sakura.

"Gaara-sama?" she whispered, walking next to him. "I'm going to try to save her."

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And that's the end of Chapter Thirty-Five. I seriously rewrote this entire chapter like five times before I was even remotely happy with it. I still don't think it's that great, but maybe it's because I rewrote it so many times.

I hope Sakura wasn't too OOC. I know she doesn't normally act like that, but she does get angry rather quickly. Plus, she has a deep hatred of the Akatsuki, and wants to protect her friends from it.

I know she seemed hypocritical when she was talking about how she didn't care about what happened to Deidara. She was supposed to sound like that.

Sasuke's death also probably triggered her rage in this chapter. I know she was angrier than usual, so I hope I wrote her part okay. Plus, she was remorseful at the end, so I hope that made her seem less evil. In the next chapter, she will apologize to Aoi and will be nicer to her.

Oh, and if anyone's confused, Gaara heard Aoi screaming after Sakura was walking back to the hot springs to try to save her. It was not when Sakura punched her chest.

…I didn't know if Gaara and Sakura were aware that Deidara and Sasori were members of the Akatsuki, but for the sake of this story, they are.

I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter.


	37. Chapter ThirtySix: Damage

Welcome to Chapter Thirty-Six. In this chapter, Gaara and Sakura meet Sasori and Deidara.

This will probably seem like a filler chapter, but I hope everyone enjoys it.

This chapter will focus on Gaara, Sakura, and Sasori.

A big thank-you goes out to everyone who reviewed and/or added this to their alerts/favorites list.

I don't own Naruto.

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Chapter Thirty-Six: Damage

Gaara stared at Sakura, confused. "Weren't you supposed to be with her? What happened?"

The Konoha-nin's eyes grew steely, her hands clenching into fists. "It doesn't matter. Let me focus on healing her." Without waiting for the redhead to answer, she placed her glowing hands on Aoi's chest. Her eyes widened. "I've never seen something like this before! There are chakra tendrils wrapped around her heart and lungs, and they're all connected to the device that's embedded in her chest."

"Why is she bleeding?" asked Gaara.

"The device is no longer attached to her skin; it's free to move around. The tendrils are also constricting around her organs, digging into them," explained the medic.

"Can you remove it?"

"I don't know," answered Sakura. "The tendrils are digging into her organs, so if I try to take the device out, they might constrict even more. But if I leave it in, I guarantee she will die." She pinched the bridge of her nose. "I just wish there was a medic who understood how it worked."

After she said this, Aoi's eyes started to open. "Gaara…sama," she rasped, blood oozing out of her mouth. "Go to my pants…look in the left front pocket. Get the…wireless earpiece. Talk to my…team. They'll know what to do." Her eyes closed again, though she stayed conscious.

Gaara knew that she was in an incredible amount of pain. He was suspecting that her 'team' was composed of Akatsuki members, but if one of them knew how to help Aoi, he would risk meeting them. He couldn't just let the girl die; it wasn't in his newfound nature.

Despite the incredulous look Sakura was giving him, he did what Aoi requested. As he was just about to press the button on the earpiece, the pink-haired girl held up a hand. "Stop. What if this is a trap, Gaara-sama? The Akatsuki are ruthless!"

The leader of Suna wondered how the kunoichi knew that Aoi was with the Akatsuki. He had a nagging suspicion that _she _caused the brunette to be in this state, and that sent a twinge of nausea through his stomach. Without giving it another thought, he pressed the button.

"Aoi?" he heard a man's voice ask.

"She's not available at the moment," Gaara said politely.

"What? Who the hell are you? What did you do to her?" The voice got harsher and louder.

"I am Gaara, and I did nothing to her. Something _did _happen to her, though, and she said for me to contact you, whoever you are. One of you knows all about that device on her chest, I presume."

Everything went silent on the other side of the wireless. Gaara heard another voice, also male, that was muffled in the background. "Danna? What happened? Why's your face all serious, un?" The Kazekage heard the first voice retort with, "Shut up, brat! Aoi's hurt!" Once again speaking to Gaara, he asked, "Where are you?"

"At the hot springs by the seafood restaurant." Gaara was wary of giving his location out to strangers, though he knew it had to be done.

"We'll be there as soon as we can." With that, the earpiece went silent.

"Aoi's team is on their way," stated Gaara.

Sakura's face had no expression on it. "I should have been able to heal her. I'm the apprentice of Tsunade for Kami's sake! But this damned device is such a puzzle! Damn that snake bastard!"

"What?" The redhead was confused.

"Orochimaru was the one who implanted the device."

At the thought of the older man's hands on Aoi, Gaara's teeth clenched. During 'Operation Destroy Konoha', he had seen what the sannin was capable of. He hoped that the snake did nothing else to her.

While the two were waiting for the brunette's team to arrive, Sakura healed the girl's wrist and stopped the bleeding from the wound on her chest. "This should lessen some of the pain."

Finally, Gaara sensed two people entering the women's bath. He whirled around, standing face-to face with Aoi's team. His heart sank as he saw one of them. _Sakura was right._

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Sakura narrowed her eyes at the two men who entered the bath. She recognized Iwa no Deidara from his page in one of Tsunade's bingo books, yet his companion was unknown to her. _Logically, if he's Deidara, then the other one must be Akasuna. _But the short redhead that stood next to the blonde looked nothing like the old, hunchbacked man that was listed in the bingo book as Sasori.

When the two saw Aoi, they ran to her, concern showing on their faces.

_That can't be right, _thought the pink-haired girl. _They're members of the Akatsuki; they shouldn't care about some chakra-less girl! _She became even more surprised when Deidara kneeled down, brushing the girl's hair aside gently, palm-mouths licking the tears off her face. A feeling of shame bubbled through her as she saw the redhead kneel next to her as well, a pained expression on his face. _He's in love with her, _she realized.

That expression suddenly turned into one of rage. "Who did this to her?" he spat.

Sakura didn't want to admit that she hurt the girl, but she knew that if she didn't, the Akatsuki members would tear through Suna, looking for their comrade's attacker. Taking a deep breath, she made her decision. "I did," she said quietly.

The redhead's eyes widened, the angry look on his face increasing. "You bitch!" he snarled, swinging a fist towards her.

The pink-haired kunoichi put her hand up, waiting for the punch. Suddenly, a flash of yellow appeared in front of her, and she realized that the pain of the hit never came. Widening her squinting eyes, she realized that Deidara was standing in front of her, his hand stopping his partner's punch.

"I know you're upset, Sasori no danna, and for a good reason, but now is not the time, un. You and the girl need to focus on healing Aoi before she…" He let the sentence trail off.

_So he _is _Sasori, _thought Sakura. _But how can that be? He's supposed to be thirty-five, yet he looks my age. _She looked at Aoi. _If he's in love with her, and he's that old, how old is Aoi? I thought she was fourteen._

She was snapped out of her thoughts when she felt someone shaking her shoulder. She blinked, looking into Deidara's visible blue eye. She suddenly felt ashamed for what she said about him. He was an Akatsuki member, yet he stuck up for her.

"Help my partner heal her, un," he said. "If she ends up dying, it won't end pretty for you."

Sakura knew this was a warning. _They're going to kill me if she doesn't live. _She nodded, and once again placed glowing hands on Aoi's chest.

Sasori put one of his hands on the device, closing his eyes in concentration. They snapped open after a moment. "The device is completely detached from her skin. It would be best if it were removed. Girl!" This was snapped at Sakura. "Is there any way for you to neutralize the chakra tendrils while I remove the device?"

"I will try my best." The medic didn't look Sasori in the eyes. She wanted nothing to do with him. She closed her eyes, focusing all her energy on trying to null the tendrils. When she felt the chakra in them slowly weakening, she shouted, "Remove it, now!"

She opened her eyes and saw the redhead grab the device with his glowing hand and gently pull it from the wound. Aoi let out a moan, but her breathing remained the same. After a couple more minutes, the tendrils were pulled out as well, glowing a pale blue color that was stained with blood.

Sasori threw the device to the side and focused on trying to heal the wound. "Just don't kneel there, looking stupid! Help me!"

"R-right!" Sakura placed her hands on the wound, which had started bleeding again. Sasori placed his own on top of the green-eyed girl's, and together, they slowly healed it.

After this was finished, the medic scanned the rest of Aoi's body for any other injuries. Satisfied with her work, she removed her hands, wiping them on her skirt. "She's stabilized."

Sasori nodded, gently picking the brunette up bridal style. "We're leaving now, but don't think you're off the hook, _girl_." That part of the sentence was snarled. "We weren't planning on harming anyone, but if Aoi's pain worsens, I'll make an exception. You'd make an excellent addition to my collection." With that, he spun on his heel, walking out of the bath.

Deidara gave both Sakura and Gaara an apologetic glance. "We really didn't come here to attack your village, Kazekage. Keep the earpiece; it's how we'll stay in contact with you, un. Once Aoi is better, we _will _discuss why we're really here. Goodnight, _Kazekage-sama_." He nodded at Gaara, then followed his partner out of the bath.

00000

Gaara was surprised that an Akatsuki member would address him so politely. When he looked over at Sakura, he saw that she was also puzzled.

"Well that was…interesting," she said, her green eyes narrowing. "Do you think they were just putting on an act?"

"No. I think they were genuine," the young Kazekage stated. "You know more about them than I do, however."

"I think you might be right, at least about Iwa no Deidara. He didn't seem to be lying; his breathing pattern seemed normal," replied the kunoichi. "Both of them seemed to act different than how I expected them to, though."

"More human?" Gaara questioned.

"Exactly. Both didn't seem like the coldhearted criminals they were supposed to be; they seemed like an ordinary team of shinobi," answered the medic.

"You were reminded of Team Seven, weren't you." This wasn't a question.

Sakura's eyes slightly widened. "Was it that obvious?"

"No," the redhead explained. "I guess I'm just getting better at reading the emotions of others." Changing the subject, he continued, "Do you have any guess as to why the three of them are here, if they're not planning on attacking?"

"My guess is that it has something to do with the Shukaku," said the pink-haired girl. "Especially because Aoi-san said that she had 'friends' who could remove it."

"That makes sense. This entire incident is just so bizarre," stated the leader of Suna.

"I agree. And while we're on the subject of Aoi, do you know how old she is?" Gaara noticed that Sakura looked slightly worried.

"She's eighteen," he stated. "Why do you ask?"

"It's just that I saw how Akasuna was looking at her, and even though she might be our enemy, I didn't want her to get assaulted by him or something."

"Sakura-san, I believe that Aoi-san and he are, what you would call, _together_."

"Why the hell would you think that?" the green-eyed girl looked confused.

"Before you arrived, Aoi-san was saying his name while she was semiconscious. She even said that she loved him."

"What? How could someone ever fall in love with an Akatsuki member?" Sakura looked incredulous.

Gaara answered this hesitantly. "I do not have much experience with this sort of emotion, but if Akasuna treats her with respect, kindness, and affection, does it really matter what he is affiliated with?"

"But he's so old! That would be like me falling in love with Kakashi-sensei!"

"Aoi-san seems to be the type of girl who knows what she's doing," replied Gaara. "I'm not worried about her."

"So you still trust her, even though she is with the Akatsuki, the organization that attacked Naruto-san?"

"Did Deidara and Akasuna attack him?" asked the redhead.

"Well, no. Hoshigaki Kisame and…Uchiha Itachi…did," Sakura quietly answered.

"Then maybe these three are different."

"But what if they're not?" pressed the kunoichi. "What if this is some sort of plan of theirs to lure you into a false sense of security, and then attack you and the village?"

"You seem to be very distrustful of Aoi-san," Gaara noted.

"She betrayed you! She's with the organization that's against the five great shinobi villages!"

"I trust her," he stated simply. Despite her affiliation with the Akatsuki, the brunette was one of the only people that truly understood him. He had a gut feeling that she would never harm him. _I really hope I'm right; I don't want Suna to suffer because of me. _Looking up at the sky, he realized how late it was. "It's after sunset, Sakura-san. We should be getting back."

Eyes narrowed, the pink-haired kunoichi nodded. "Are we going to tell your siblings what happened?"

"No." Gaara didn't like it, but he thought that the less people who were involved, the better. "Don't tell them just yet."

Sakura just nodded, her lips stretched into a thin line. She silently walked out of the bath. Gaara did the same.

00000

Deidara and Sasori, who was carrying Aoi, easily snuck back into their hotel room. Said redhead gently placed the unconscious girl on his bed. _I'm so sorry, Aoi. _He wasn't expecting for the brunette to get hurt as badly as she did. _That Haruno girl is going to pay! _He found his fists clenching, and his heart speeding up. His anger was increasing, and he realized that if he didn't calm down, he would do something he would later regret.

He was thankful that Deidara started talking; this distracted him from his raging thoughts. "Do you think she's going to be okay, un?"

"Truthfully, I don't know. That device wasn't really supposed to be removed." When he glanced at Aoi once more, he realized that she was still only wearing the bloodstained towel from the bath. _Shit! Her clothes are still at the bath, and her bag is at the Kazekage's. _He didn't want the girl to be cold, so he put a blanket over her.

Deidara, who sat in the chair next to the bed, brushed her hair away from her eyes. "Danna?" he murmured. "She's burning up; I think she has a fever. What do we do, un?"

"I don't know," stated the puppet master. "This might be her body's way of reconfiguring itself because the chakra device was removed."

The blonde nodded. He was about to pull the blanket above her chest when his eyes widened. "She's bleeding again."

Sasori removed the blanket and slid the towel down a bit to expose the entire wound. He noticed that the deep incision had indeed started to bleed, and that the edges of it were red and puffy. He tried to heal it again, only to realize that it was too deep for his limited medical skills to fix.

Rummaging through his bag, he found what he was looking for: a needle and some thin metal wire. Though the wire was for repairing puppets, it was the only thread he had at the moment, and he needed to sew up the incision.

As he sealed up the gash, Aoi started to whimper. Deidara held her hand while the puppeteer finished his work, which seemed to calm her down. Once Sasori was finally finished, he grabbed a towel from the bathroom and cleaned off all the blood on her skin.

"Why did that girl hurt her, un?" the Iwa-nin asked, looking sadly at the semiconscious girl. "Aoi isn't the type to harm anyone."

"It's simple, Deidara. It's because she's with the Akatsuki. And Haruno somehow found out. You do know that in most villages, even being associated with our organization is considered traitorous. It didn't matter that Aoi didn't hurt anyone."

The bomber nodded in understanding. "I just find it sad, though, un."

For once, Sasori wholeheartedly agreed with his partner on something.

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And that's the end of Chapter Thirty-Six. I know it wasn't my best; I was working on AP GoPo homework while I was writing this, lolz.

When Sasori and Deidara show up at the hot springs, they were not wearing their Akatsuki cloaks. (That would make them too conspicuous, XD).

I really hope everyone wasn't OOC; I rewrote the scene at the hot springs like three times.

The scene with Gaara and Sakura after Sasori, Aoi, and Deidara left was to show their different opinions on the whole situation, as well as to show that Sasori and Aoi's relationship is not considered conventional.

I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter.


	38. Chapter ThirtySeven: Deterioration

Welcome to Chapter Thirty-Seven! This one might seem a bit creepy, but it is essential to the story. It is very scientific, and there are some scientific terms used in it. I hope I explain them well.

Just to let everyone know ahead of time, I won't be posting from February 21-24. I will be going on a trip to Washington D.C. with my AP GoPo class. Sorry!

This chapter will focus on Aoi, Sasori, and Deidara.

A big thank-you goes out to everyone who reviewed this and/or added this to their favorites/alerts lists. You all are awesome!

Since I cannot reply to anonymous reviews, I'd like to thank **Kate** in this A/N. I really enjoyed reading your reviews, and wished that I could reply to them. I'm glad you like my story! I like yours as well and can't wait for the next chapter to be up! :)

I don't own Naruto.

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Chapter Thirty-Seven: Deterioration

Aoi was surrounded by darkness. She realized that she was once again in her own mind, but this time, she desperately wanted to get out, to wake up. She knew that she had a mission to complete. But every time she tried to get her body to move, she found that she couldn't. The paralysis didn't dull the pain, however. It made the fire burn through her body more excruciatingly. When she tried to open her mouth to scream, to relieve the agony, she found that she couldn't. She had to suffer in silence.

She didn't know how long it had been since she was in the hot springs with Sakura. _Hours? Days? Weeks? _She felt no hunger pangs, nor dehydration. She only felt the burning that centered in her heart and spread throughout her body in painful waves. _Am I dying? No! I can't! _Her breathing sped up, and she found herself hyperventilating. She wasn't scared of many things, but the thought of death terrified her.

Just as soon as it started, it was over, and her breathing went back to normal. The pain was still there, but she willed herself to get used to it. After what seemed to be hours, she found herself dreaming, though it seemed to be more like she was reliving memories, both good and bad, peaceful and terrifying.

As all of it passed by her, the pain grew so agonizing that she thought she would burst from it. After a particularly torturous wave, there was finally nothing. No pain, no dreams. Nothing. Her breathing slowed down, becoming shallow. The paralysis remained, but she didn't care. She was finally at peace.

00000

Sasori watched, horrified, as the gash on Aoi's chest started to bleed again. It was early in the morning, and Deidara had not woken up yet. The redhead had sacrificed a night of sleep to watch the girl, looking for any signs of improvement. There were none.

Right after the main wound reopened, what looked to be small scratches appeared on Aoi's chest and shoulders, spreading down her right arm. When the puppeteer looked at these closer, his eyes widened. The brunette's skin was peeling—literally being ripped apart layer by layer—and was starting to bleed. _What's happening to her? _Suddenly, it hit him. _Apoptosis. _Sasori had heard Kakuzu mention this once. It was also called 'cell suicide', and it basically meant that a person, animal, or plant's cells would start to self destruct.

On a hunch, he pulled the towel downward, exposing her chest and stomach, which were also starting to be covered in the ugly red marks. _Why isn't she screaming? This must be agony for her! _His eyes widened, and he placed a hand on her chest. When he felt a faint heartbeat, he was slightly relieved; she was still alive, though barely.

"Deidara!" he yelled hysterically. He had performed a sound-proofing jutsu on the hotel room so that none of their conversations could be overheard. He was grateful he did that at the moment.

"Huh?" The blonde sat bolt upright. "Danna? What's wrong?"

"Look!" The puppet master pointed at Aoi.

When the bomber saw how the girl's skin was deteriorating, he looked literally sick. "What the hell, un?"

"I think removing the device put too much stress on her cells," explained the redhead. "They're starting to self destruct!"

"What can we do? If that continues, she's going to die, un."

"We have to re-implant the device. I know it sounds insane, but that seems to be the only option we have. Deidara!" he looked straight at his partner, brown eyes meeting blue. "Go back to the hot springs and get the device. You saw where I left it. Use a henge so no one recognizes you. Go now! We don't have much time!"

The Iwa-nin nodded and performed the necessary hand signs, transforming himself into a tall, gray-haired man with brown eyes. He jumped out of the window, and ran towards the hot springs.

Sasori just waited, something that he always found hard to do. Even more so now, since one of the two people he cared about was dying right in front of him.

Knowing it was futile, he tried to repair the destroyed skin. Every time he would seal up one of the gashes, it would split open again. The most he could do was stop the bleeding, and even that wasn't working correctly. He got a towel from the bathroom and wiped the sweat that was on her face. It was then when he realized that the only part of her body the cuts hadn't formed on was her face. _It's only a matter of time before they do. _

As the seconds turned into minutes, the redhead was getting more and more worried. When he looked at the cuts, he noticed that some of them went so deep that he could see the white coloring of bones mixed in with the crimson muscles and blood. He was glad that he didn't have a stomach; he would have vomited if he did.

He whirled towards the open window when a brown-haired woman leapt into the room. She held up clothes and the chakra device. "Deidara?" he asked. "Why the hell are you a woman?"

"You didn't expect me to waltz into the _women's _baths as a male, did you, un?" In the blink of an eye, the blonde transformed back into himself. "I got her clothes as well as the device."

"Good." Sasori nodded curtly. He took the device from his partner's outstretched hand. "The disk is clear now." Eyes widening in understanding, he gave it back to the Iwa-nin. "I think it needs to be filled up with chakra. Since I need all mine for the procedure, you're going to have to donate some of yours."

The bomber nodded, closing his eyes. After a moment, the disk glowed blue. Once this happened, he gave the device back to the puppet master.

Sasori grabbed a kunai as well and walked over to the unconscious brunette. He slid the kunai under the metal stitches covering the wound and cut them, gently pulling them out of her skin. After that was finished, he carefully sunk the weapon into the incision, fully reopening it. Placing the kunai on the ground, he positioned the device where it was previously implanted and used his medical skills to seal up the wound. Afterwards, he grabbed the small welding torch he brought with him for puppet repairs and fused the device to her skin from the outside. Finally, he healed the gashes all over her body. This time, they stayed fixed.

Five minutes passed, and Sasori was convinced that Aoi was stabilized. Her breathing went back to normal, and it seemed as if her cells stopped self destructing. When he put a hand on her arm, he felt the muscles in it start to relax. He placed his glowing hands on her stomach and chest, searching for any damaged organs. There weren't any.

"I think the worst is over," he said, relieved. "I think we caught it just in time; her organs are still intact, though weakened."

Deidara relaxed, sitting down on his bed. "When do you think she'll wake up, un?"

"I don't know. What I do know is that Haruno bitch is going to pay!"

"Danna, we're on a mission, remember," the blonde cautioned.

"I know. I'm just so _angry. _Even I wouldn't create a poison that would induce apoptosis. That's just unnecessarily cruel! Her skin deteriorated so much in some places that I could see her _bones_, Deidara. It's a wonder she's still alive; that must have put a tremendous strain on her body and mind." The puppeteer was furious. He clenched his teeth and fists, ready to run to the Kazekage's tower and kill the pink-haired kunoichi slowly.

"Take deep breaths, un."

Sasori did what his partner advised and slowly felt his anger ebb away. He was completely distracted from it when Aoi started to sit up.

"I'm alive?" she asked, eyes widening. "The fire's gone. Whatever you did, it worked." When she tried to change positions, a shocked look appeared on her face. "I can't move my left leg, Sasori. Is it broken or something?"

"No, Aoi. It's not. Are there any other parts of your body that are paralyzed?" The redhead was alarmed.

The brunette tested her other limbs. "No, my leg is the only appendage I can't move. What happened to me?"

The look she gave the puppet master made his heart break. He explained everything that had occurred since she fell unconscious.

"So that's why I have all these scars on me," she replied, looking at the angry, red marks on her arms and chest. Noticing that her breasts were exposed, she hastily covered herself with the towel. "What am I going to do now?" she murmured. "I won't be able to walk efficiently. I've botched the mission. I won't even be able to make the journey back to Ame. I've ruined everything!"

Sasori placed a hand on her shoulder. Deidara did the same. "It's all right," soothed the blonde. "I think the mission can still be successful. That Gaara guy really trusts you, un. Haruno, not so much. But _he's _Kazekage, not her, so that's all that matters."

"Thanks, Deidara," she whispered. In a louder voice, she continued, "I feel so gross; I just want to wash this ill feeling off my skin. I'd feel better if I showered."

"There's a bathroom in here; you can take a shower if you want, un," stated the Iwa-nin.

Aoi nodded, sliding slowly off of the bed. She would have fallen to the ground if Sasori wasn't there to catch her. "I'm not used to having a paralyzed leg," she said. "I guess I won't take a shower now."

"No," replied the puppeteer. "You should; it will make you feel refreshed." He paused, contemplating an idea. "I could…help you, if you want me to." He turned away.

"Um, sure," she muttered. He knew she was blushing. "If you wouldn't mind."

He slowly nodded. She placed an arm around his neck, and the two slowly walked into the bathroom. He turned on the shower, and closed his eyes when Aoi removed the towel. Looking only at her face, he helped her into the tub and began to wash her hair.

"You know," she whispered, "Gaara has an older brother named Kankuro. He's a puppet master, just like you. He even uses your old puppets. Maybe he could give you a puppet leg and you can replace my leg with that, like you did with my arm."

Sasori nodded. "That's not a bad idea."

The two continued to talk, and the redhead was grateful for the conversation. He knew Aoi was probably in some pain, and speaking kept her mind off of it. It kept _him _looking at her face, eyes not straying to anywhere they shouldn't.

"I wish I could feel this peaceful forever," Aoi said, eyes closing.

"Me too, Aoi," the puppeteer agreed. "Me too."

00000

As Sasori helped Aoi shower, Deidara felt a pang of jealousy. He wasn't jealous of his partner because the brunette loved him; he was envious of the fact that the puppet master and Aoi had a romantic relationship, and were happy together. The bomber was still working out his feelings for Itachi. _If we _did _end up having a relationship, it would be hard to make it work. _Besides the fact that he was attracted to another man, which disconcerted him, there was the whole issue with Pein. _If he was upset that Danna and Aoi were in love, imagine what he would do to you if he found out you loved _Itachi_! _The blonde knew that the pierced man already disliked him, and would show no mercy to him. _He'd kill me. Or come damn close to it. _He shuddered at the many ways the orange-haired man could torture him. _He reminds me of Kuroi. _The thought of his adoptive father made his heart speed up, and his eyes reflexively close as a memory replayed itself in his mind.

_A small blonde child hid under his bed as he heard the sound of glass breaking downstairs._

_"You pathetic piece of shit!" a voice roared. "Get your ass down here now, or I'll come up there and drag you out of hiding by your fucking hair!"_

_Deidara whimpered; he knew what the man would do to him if he obeyed. He wasn't sure why he was in trouble this time; he knew he had done nothing wrong._

_"That's it!" the man yelled, stomping up the stairs._

_The child curled up even smaller, trying to hide himself more. It was futile, however. Jinkaku Kuroi, his adoptive father, was a jounin, one of the best in Iwagakure. In one terrifying motion, he overturned the bed with one hand and grabbed Deidara by the hair with the other, dragging him out into the hallway. He struggled, but it was useless; the man's grip was iron. He cried out in pain as Kuroi tossed his small body down the stairs. _

_"I'm sorry, un!" the blonde sobbed, too hurt to move from where he was sprawled out on the floor. "I'm sorry!"_

_"You know, Deidara-kun," Kuroi slurred. The child realized that the man was drunk. "I'm glad I adopted you. It's fun to make you scream. You should be grateful; I'm leaving you alive. You're too valuable to kill. But not valuable enough that I won't beat you."_

_With that, the man started his attack. Deidara could only wrap his arms around his head as the punches and kicks rained down on him. After awhile, they finally stopped, and the child let his bruised arms fall to the floor._

_Kuroi sensed this and grabbed one of them so that the mouth on the palm of it was facing him. "You're a real freak of nature, you know that?" He traced the orifice a couple of times before forcing it open. Deidara felt sick as the man's fingers explored the mouth, nails digging into the gums and tongue in it. When he couldn't take it anymore, he coughed violently and vomited, his free arm wrapped around his stomach. He felt like retching again, but bit his lip to distract himself from the nausea._

_Suddenly, the man grabbed the blonde's arm, pulling him to his feet. "You puked because of _that_? You're such a wimp!" He then threw the boy against the wall._

_Deidara felt the room spin around as he fell to the floor. He didn't even attempt to get up this time; he couldn't. He was only eleven years old, just made a genin; how could he win against a twenty-something year old jounin? He vaguely saw the man kneel down and felt him grab his forehead, forcing the back of his head to bang against the wall. That same hand forced his left eye open. Black spots marred his vision, but he could still see the small piece of glass shooting straight towards his eye. _

_He felt excruciating pain, and he could barely see out of his left eye. That was when he gave up. He let his head drop to the floor, his body going limp…_

Deidara snapped out of his thoughts, instinctively grabbing his left eye. Besides wearing his scope for seeing long-distance, he also used it to aid his normal vision. Ever since Kuroi stabbed his eye with a piece of glass, he could barely see out of it. It was a miracle that he wasn't totally blind in that eye.

He didn't realize that he was crying until he felt the wetness on his hands. He quickly wiped his eyes when he heard the bathroom door open, forcing a fake smile on his face as Aoi and Sasori walked out.

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And that's the end of Chapter Thirty-Seven!

I know Aoi's part seemed confusing; it was supposed to be. It was basically how she was feeling as her skin started to deteriorate and the device is re-implanted.

Apoptosis is a real scientific term. (I learned it in AP Biology last year). I forgot what actually happens when cells go through it, though, so I kind of made everything else up, lolz.

Now Aoi needs a new leg; that girl is so unlucky, XD!

…The part where Sasori notices that Deidara transformed into a woman was my pathetic attempt at humor during a very serious chapter.

I know Deidara has a backstory; I just wanted to make up my own for him. Like I said at the very beginning of the story, think of this as slightly AU.

I named Dei's adopted father 'Kuroi' because it means 'black' in Japanese. (Thank you, Sapphire-sama Dreamer!) He has black hair, but I also named him this because of his blackened and evil personality. I gave him the last name 'Jinkaku' because it means 'personality'. His full name means 'black personality'.

…I really hope there isn't a Naruto character named Kuroi, or one that has Jinkaku as their surname, lolz.

I named this chapter 'Deterioration' for many reasons. Not just because of Aoi's literally deteriorating skin, but because Sasori's stoic demeanor has finally completely cracked and Deidara is starting to really hide his weaknesses and feelings, which isn't a good thing.

I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter!


	39. Chapter ThirtyEight: Destruction

Welcome to Chapter Thirty-Eight! This one will seem a bit filler-ish, but it is still important to the story.

This chapter will focus on Sasori, Deidara, and Gaara.

It also has another flashback of Dei's childhood. This one will be disturbing; I'm warning you now.

…On a random note, I was in such a good mood three days ago! My Intro to Film class is starting to make movies, and my group chose my script to make a short movie out of! I was so flattered, and happy! Plus, in my English class, we could either write a five-paragraph essay on _Frankenstein _or create a piece of art that depicts a scene from it. I'm doing the latter, and I got permission from my old art teacher to stay after school and paint for an hour or two all next week. I'm so excited; I haven't painted in so long!

Many thanks go to everyone who reviewed and/or added this to their favorites/alerts lists.

Anonymous Review Reply: To **Kate**: thank you so much for your review! I agree; I love writing about Sasori, Deidara, Aoi, and Itachi! You'll be happy for this chapter; it focuses on two out of the four!

I'm not going to spoil it for you, but you're on the right track with your human puppet theory!

Yes, Dei hiding his feelings will be interesting to write.

I can't wait for the next chapter of your story!

I don't own Naruto.

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Chapter Thirty-Eight: Destruction

As the day went on, Aoi's leg started to be able to move again. When she was able to bend her knee, she decided to try walking on her own. However, as soon as she put weight on her left leg, an agonizing pain shot through it, making her cry out in pain, falling to the ground.

Sasori looked at her, alarm clearly present on his face. "What's wrong?" He gently picked her up and laid her on her bed.

"My bad leg hurts," she hissed, her teeth clenched in pain. "I thought you said it wasn't broken."

"It wasn't. I'm not sure why it's causing you discomfort." The redhead looked puzzled. He rolled up the leg of her pants so that he could see her skin clearly. His eyes widened. The scars on her leg had reopened, fresh blood oozing from the gashes. The rest of the appendage was discolored, slightly darker than her normal skin tone. Since he had used up most of his chakra when he had healed her earlier in the day, he couldn't fix these new injuries.

"She needs to go to a hospital, un," Deidara suggested. Sasori was a bit confused at his partner's monotone voice, but was focused on other priorities at the moment.

"What good will that do? I don't think there's a medic in Suna who knows how to treat this type of injury."

"There's one," Aoi stated, closing her eyes and wincing.

"No. I am not taking you to Haruno!" The puppet master spat the name out venomously. "She was the one who caused all this!"

"I think Aoi's right, un," replied the bomber. "I heard that girl is the apprentice of the Godaime Hokage, Tsunade. If anyone can help, she can."

"Then _you _take her!" Sasori didn't know why this just slipped out; he knew that Aoi needed help.

The Iwa-nin nodded. "Good idea. You might kill the girl if you went along, un."

"Fine. Seeing as I can't convince you otherwise, take her to Haruno. But be careful. If anything were to happen to you two…" The puppeteer was surprised at how emotional his voice sounded.

Deidara then formed the hand-signs needed to create a henge. He transformed into the silver-haired man he was disguised as before, and gently picked Aoi up bridal-style. Whenever her bad leg moved, she winced. "Just hold on, un. It won't take long to get to the Kazekage's tower." He gently jumped out the window, leaving Sasori alone.

As the minutes ticked by, he found himself pacing the room, wondering if Aoi was all right. Since the apoptosis was still affecting her left leg, he was worried that it was attacking her organs as well. When he couldn't stand waiting any longer, he quickly transformed himself into a brown-haired man and jumped out of the window, running to the Kazekage's tower.

He dexterously climbed the building, swiftly looking into windows to see where his partner was. Once he found the bomber, he softly tapped on the window. Gaara, who was also in the room, opened the window, letting the puppeteer into the room.

"Danna?" Deidara asked, surprised.

"Did you find out what's wrong with Aoi?" He ignored the blonde's confused looks, instead glaring at Sakura.

She nodded, glancing coolly at the older man. "Her left leg has been completely destroyed by apoptosis. Her skin deteriorated, and her bones and muscles are so damaged that one more step will make them fall apart. I'm not going to lie; it needs to be amputated."

Sasori absentmindedly nodded, his eyes and mind completely focused on Aoi, who was unconscious on a couch. His eyes widened as he looked at her leg. Some of the skin was peeled away so much that he could see bone fragments. "Will the rest of her body deteriorate like this?" He was almost afraid to hear the answer.

"No." As the medic said this, the puppet master relaxed. "The apoptosis was stopped just in time; any later and her organs would be like her leg. I cannot heal it; it's so messed up."

"No thanks to you," muttered Sasori. Louder, he said, "If you need to amputate her leg, I'm going to need to get something before you start." He looked at Deidara, who nodded in understanding.

"Then get it; the sooner it can be done, the better," stated Sakura.

The puppeteer nodded, his teeth gritting. He crawled out of the window, and was soon running toward his destination: the puppet warehouse.

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Deidara was a bit offended when Sakura kicked him out. She said that she wanted to examine Aoi further, and wouldn't allow the bomber to observe. "She's a woman; I'm not going to let you ogle her!" the kunoichi had snapped. It made sense, but he was worried that Aoi would suddenly die, and he wouldn't be there for her last moments. He complied to the request, however; he didn't want to get on the pink-haired girl's bad side.

As the blonde walked outside, he realized that it was evening, and that the sun was beginning to set. He watched it, admiration in his eyes. _That's true art, _he thought. Even though he was using a henge, he was still wary of being around so many people; he didn't want to be discovered. He didn't want to go back into the tower, however; he loved being outside. Instead, he climbed to the top of an abandoned building and sat at the edge of the roof, his feet dangling.

He pulled them back when he heard someone walking on the street below.

"Hey, we're gonna have some fun tonight!" the person shouted to his companion, pumping his fist in the air.

Deidara's eyes widened. _Where have I heard that before? _

The phrase kept repeating itself in his head, until he was sucked into another one of his memories…

_Deidara found himself in a white room. There was nothing in the room save for a cabinet. Both his arms and his right leg were bandaged. He had no idea where he was, but he knew it had something to do with the fact that he blew up his house and possibly killed his adoptive father._

_He was snapped out of his thoughts when the door to the room opened. His blue eyes opened wide as he saw a person enter the room. _No! Oh Kami, no!

_The entire left side of Kuroi's face was covered in bandages. "You're currently in the Tsuchikage's tower. You are guilty of arson and attempted murder. I worked out a deal with the Tsuchikage, however." He paused and licked his lips, which sent shivers down the child's spine. "I get to punish you how I see fit, and since no one was killed, you will be set free. We're gonna have some fun."_

_At that moment, Deidara knew that he was going to come close to dying; Kuroi was one of the top interrogators in Iwa, a master of torture. _

_While he was thinking, the older man grabbed the blonde's shoulder and threw him against the wall. He kneeled down and whispered in the boy's ear, "There's a reason why I adopted you, _Deidara-kun_!" He grabbed him by his hair and repeatedly bashed his head into the wall until he was in so much pain that he couldn't see._

_When he was finally coherent, he realized that he wasn't wearing any clothes. _What? Is this supposed to humiliate me or something?

_"I bet you're very confused right now," hissed Kuroi. "I adopted you because of your…talents. Those hands of yours…" He licked his lips. _

_"I don't understand," whimpered Deidara. He didn't know what was going on, but he had a feeling that whatever the older man was going to do to him, it would be bad._

_"Your extra mouths aren't just good for making that exploding shit you call art." He hauled the child to his feet and grabbed his hand, bringing it to his mouth. He bit the lips until they opened, and he slipped his tongue between the teeth._

_The boy felt nauseous, which was what happened when something other than clay entered his extra mouths. He wanted to fall to the ground, but the iron grip on his arm prevented it. _

_Once Kuroi pulled away, he repeated this to his other mouths. Deidara started to cry as the man's tongue entered his normal mouth. _Why is he doing this to me? I don't understand!

_Finally, the black-haired man let the blonde drop to the floor. Thinking that the ordeal was over, he closed his eyes, relaxing. They snapped open when he heard the sound of clothing dropping to the floor. He saw that Kuroi had removed his pants, and suddenly, he realized what was going to happen to him. _Why? Hasn't he done enough to me? _He allowed himself to sob loudly now._

_He was dragged up by his arms once more and was pressed against the wall. "I was going to wait until you were older before I…had…you, but your lips and skin are so soft; I couldn't resist," Kuroi whispered. "Plus, you need to learn your place, _Deidara-kun_! You're nothing special; you're a worthless piece of shit. All you're good for is satisfying my desires." _

_Since one of the older man's hands pressed his own above his head , escape was futile. Add the concussion he probably had to that, and he could barely stand, let alone fight._

_As the jounin moved closer, Deidara felt something hard press against his lower back. He closed his eyes and prepared for what he knew was going to happen._

_When Kuroi finally entered him, the blonde screamed in pain, tears pouring from his eyes. "Why, un?" he cried._

_"Shut up! I don't want to hear your annoying voice! Because of that, I'm not going to go easy on you since it's your first time." He let go of the child's arms, but pulled his body closer to him. _

_The pain was so great that Deidara found himself falling unconscious. He did hear someone breaking the door down though. _The Sandaime Tsuchikage? _he thought drowsily. The man, though old, was surprisingly strong, and pulled Kuroi from him with ease. That was painful for the blonde, but he was relieved that his guardian was finally away from him. He dropped to the floor, curling up in a fetal position._

_The old man looked down on him, pure sadness in his eyes. "I'm sorry, child. I was too late. If I had known _this _was the punishment you would receive…"_

_Black spots were dancing across Deidara's vision, marring it more than it already was. He decided to give into unconsciousness; nothing could hurt him in his own mind. The last thing he heard was the Tsuchikage yelling, "Quick! Block this memory! I don't want him to ever remember _this_!"_

_Then everything went black…_

Deidara snapped back into reality, hands shaking. Now he knew why his memories of that night were fuzzy until now; his mentor Onoki, the Sandaime Tsuchikage, must have had someone block that memory. _And for a good reason. _He let the tears flow freely now; no one was watching. _He raped me. Kuroi _raped _me! _

"Why!" he screamed out loud, not caring if anyone heard him. "Why is this happening to me?" He looked to the sky. "Was I only put on this world so people could beat me and take advantage of me, un?" He violently dug his nails into the skin on the underside of his arms. "He was right," he muttered, his eyes wild. "I am just a worthless piece of shit, un. I'm so weak; I'm letting a damn memory mess with my head. Only children cry, yet I'm bawling my eyes out right now. I'm pathetic, un!" He continued to dig into his arms, not caring that he bled. He actually relished the pain; it made him focus on his bleeding arms instead of the horrid memory. But every time he blinked, he would see Kuroi's face, and he could still feel his tongue inside his extra mouths.

He let out one more agonized scream, crying once again.

Iwa no Deidara didn't lose his innocence at age nineteen. He lost it at age eleven.

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Gaara was surprised to see the Akatsuki member named Deidara sitting on the roof of the only abandoned building in Suna. This was the spot he usually went to at night, since he couldn't sleep.

He was even more surprised when the bomber stared at the sky and screamed, tears falling down his face in torrents. He was shocked even further when he started muttering to himself about a memory. The redhead didn't know what it was about, but from what he heard, he was pretty sure that Deidara was physically and possibly sexually abused as a child. That saddened him. Though the Iwa-nin was supposed to be his enemy, seeing him in such a vulnerable state made his heart break. _No one should suffer this much. _

Without a second thought, he walked over to the older man and put an arm around him. He was shocked when the blonde—though his hair was silver now because of the henge he was using—wrapped his arms around the redhead and cried into his shirt.

Gaara rubbed his back, hoping that the gesture would calm him down. He was worried about the bomber's mental state; he knew he normally wouldn't hug a guy who's supposed to be his enemy.

After awhile, Deidara went silent, his sobs subsiding into quiet whimpers. When he looked up at the Kazekage, his eyes were still unfocused. Gaara knew that he needed to get back to his tower, but he couldn't leave the Iwa-nin on the rooftop; that would be cruel.

Instead, he let some sand escape from his gourd, forming into a platform-esque shape. He helped the older man, who was following all of his requests, lay on the sand. After, he quietly climbed down the building, the sand following him. Making sure that he was seen by no one, he quickly walked back to his tower. Looking ever-so-often at the semiconscious bomber, he came to a conclusion: good and evil are not black and white; shades of gray existed. And Iwa no Deidara was one of those shades.

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And that's the end of Chapter Thirty-Eight!

I know the beginning sucked, but I thought the ending was all right.

Lol, Sasori's going to steal a puppet leg for Aoi.

No, Sakura isn't going to amputate Aoi's leg. Aoi is being taken to a hospital for the operation.

After I re-read Deidara's breakdown, I got teary-eyed. And _I _wrote it. This will be the last of Dei's horrid memories; the next flashbacks will be good ones, focusing on him being an apprentice to Onoki.

Gaara is not hitting on Deidara, nor does he feel any attraction to him. He was just trying to comfort him. I really hope he didn't seem extremely OOC.

I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter.


	40. Chapter ThirtyNine: Death of Innocence

Welcome to Chapter Thirty-Nine! This one will be very psychological; it focuses mostly on Deidara's reaction to finally remembering what had happened to him, and Gaara and Sasori trying to comfort him.

I won't be able to post all next week, due to the fact that I will be in Washington D.C. with my AP GoPo class.

I feel bad for advertising, but I wrote another fanfic (a one-shot) called Cause and Effect. It features a very weird couple: PeinSaso (it has SasoDei at the end, though). It would be awesome if more people read it.

This chapter will focus on Itachi, Deidara, Sasori, and Gaara.

Many thanks go to everyone who reviewed and/or added this to their favorites/alerts lists.

Anonymous Review Replies: I wish I could reply to you; I loved all of your reviews!

To **Kate**: Yeah, Deidara will be very broken because he remembered what Kuroi did to him. Gaara's going to comfort him, though. I can't wait for the next chapter of your story!

I don't own Naruto.

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Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Death of Innocence

It was very quiet at the Akatsuki base. Deidara, Sasori, and Aoi had gone to Suna to capture the Ichibi, while Hidan and Kakuzu had gone to Kusa for a bounty. (The immortal wasn't thrilled).

The first few days, Itachi relished the quiet. After awhile, though, feelings of unease began to creep through him. Madara hadn't bothered him since his 'friendly' talk about Deidara, and the younger Uchiha didn't know whether to be relieved or alarmed. He was glad that the blonde was on a mission; he was worried that his relative would traumatize the Iwa-nin even more than he was already.

The raven-haired man sighed as he walked back to his room. It had been a long day, and all he wanted to do was sleep. When he let himself fall onto his bed, he felt something hard on his pillow. He sat up and pulled a piece of paper from where he his head had been. It was a note.

Dear Itachi,

When your blonde friend returns from his mission, I will be waiting for him. If you don't stay out of my way, I will hurt him more than I have to. Considering who I am, he'll be half-dead if you don't take this note seriously. I will be watching the both of you when he gets back.

Regards,

Uchiha Madara.

As he read the note, Itachi's eyes widened, and his breathing started to speed up. Madara had made his first move.

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Endless nightmares assaulted Deidara's mind, but he could not wake up, no matter how hard he tried. In some of the dreams, Kuroi would violate him. In others, Orochimaru would take his place. The worst ones were when both of his tormentors would assault him at once, with the sannin kissing him while Kuroi raped him. No matter how much he fought, he could never escape them. When they were finished, the horrible ordeal would start over again. It kept repeating until, after the tenth time, Deidara couldn't take it anymore. He closed his eyes in defeat, dropping to the floor.

"You win!" he screamed, tears pouring down his face. "I give up! Do your worst to me; I don't care anymore, un! Just kill me afterwards!"

Suddenly, the bomber's eyes snapped open, looking into Gaara's sea-green ones. He realized that the young man was sitting on a bed, which the Iwa-nin was also laying on, with his arms wrapped around him.

"If you're going to do something to me, please knock me unconscious first, un," he murmured.

The Kazekage just looked confused, then sad. "I would never take advantage of you; that's one of the most evil things a person can do to someone. You were shaking and screaming so much; I had to do something."

Deidara slightly relaxed, but was still tense; he didn't know who he could trust anymore.

Looking into the blonde's eyes, the young redhead continued, "What happened, Deidara-san? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to; I just think it might make you feel better. I won't force you into anything, though."

"You're probably the only person who wouldn't, besides Danna, Aoi, and Uchiha, un," he muttered, more to himself than to the younger man. He just sat in silence until he realized that, for some reason, he _did _want to tell the redhead what happened to him.

After he finished explaining everything, from Kuroi's cruelty to the incident with Orochimaru, Deidara noticed that Gaara looked truly saddened.

"You've been through so much," he said, closing his eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." The bomber felt his voice go cold. "Sometimes, I think I deserved it, like this was my destiny or something, un. I'm just a freak of nature; I'm good for nothing."

"Don't speak like that!" Deidara flinched at the redhead's loud tone. "I know you are a member of the Akatsuki, and that you should be my enemy, but hearing you degrade yourself like that just hurts my heart for some reason. You did nothing to deserve that sort of treatment, especially when you were so young!"

The Iwa-nin just looked down. He knew that the younger man was right, but he still felt so weak.

"Did that ever happen before, Deidara-san?" asked Gaara, snapping the older man out of his thoughts.

"Did what happen, un?"

"You getting, um, assaulted by Kuroi." There was a light blush on the leader of Suna's face.

"No." Deidara narrowed his eyes. "That bastard beat me almost every day since I was adopted by him, but he never went any further. Until I blew up the house. That's when he…hurt…me, and told me why he adopted me, un."

He looked at Gaara, who was still staring at him, listening intently. "That day, I found out all he wanted me for was so I could satisfy all his desires."

The Kazekage wrapped his arms around the taller man once more. "That's sick, and wrong. To tell you that? To actually _do _that to you? What was wrong with that man? Honestly, couldn't he see how that would affect you?"

Deidara couldn't hold back anymore; he started to cry. "Please don't tell Danna, un!" he sobbed.

"Who's 'Danna'? Your partner? Why not? He deserves to know, Deidara-san."

"No!" he shouted, his voice weakened by how much he was crying. "He'll think I'm weak and worthless, and he'll disown me as his partner! I don't think I can take being thrown away anymore, un. Please don't tell him!"

"I won't tell him, Deidara-san. But _you _will have to, someday. You can't keep this from him forever. And if he really cares about you, he'll help you get through this."

"Sasori no danna likes perfection," he whimpered. "I'm so broken; he'll be so disappointed in me, un."

"From what I've seen of him, he seems to care about you very much, Deidara-san," Gaara stated. "I don't think he'd just abandon you. He seems very protective of people he loves, like Aoi-san."

At the mention of the brunette's name, Deidara stopped crying. "Is she all right, un? I heard she needed an operation."

"The surgery went fine," Gaara soothed, rubbing the blonde's shoulders. "She got a puppet leg attached this morning. Your partner just happened to 'find' the very best one in Suna."

"What did the doctors say?" The bomber was worried that someone discovered that his friends were members of the Akatsuki.

"Don't worry. Akasuna put a genjutsu on everyone who was involved." At this, the redhead grimaced, and Deidara knew that the younger man didn't like deceiving his people.

Suddenly, the blonde felt a sharp pain in his heart. It was so great that he fell back on the bed, grabbing at his chest. "Why does it hurt so much, un?"

Just as soon as the pain came, it was gone, leaving only a tiny remnant of an ache. His entire body felt the same, and he just felt like sleeping for the rest of his life. He knew that this would pass, though. However, he knew that the mental and emotional pain would last forever, and realized that he wouldn't ever be able to truly get close to anyone, at least not for an extremely long time.

_I should be getting over this faster; why does it affect me so much? Am I really that weak? _His breathing started to speed up, and he grabbed his head, pulling on his hair. He didn't even notice the door opening as he screamed, "Otou-san, Oka-san, why did you let this happen to me? Do you really hate me so much that you just left me here to suffer?" He stopped pulling his hair, instead digging his nails into the sensitive skin of his face.

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Sasori had never been so horrified in his life. He walked into the Kazekage's room to thank him for being so hospitable about the whole ordeal with Aoi, but instead saw Deidara clawing at his face and yelling about his parents.

He rushed into the room, slamming the door shut behind him, and grabbed Gaara, who was on the bed with his partner. "What the hell did you do to him, you bastard?" He shook the younger redhead's shoulders.

"Nothing," answered the Kazekage. "Deidara-san is going through a rough time right now, and he just broke down. I think that it would be best if you talked to him; he needs you right now."

"What?" This wasn't what the puppet master was expecting. All his thoughts about the leader of Suna were forgotten when he turned to the Iwa-nin. The younger man was shivering violently, blood from the deep scratches on his face dripping onto the white sheets of the bed, contrasting disturbingly.

"Deidara." The redhead sat on the bed and gently removed the bomber's hands from his face. "Stop."

The younger man suddenly wrapped his arms around the puppeteer and sobbed.

"I'm going to leave you two alone," Gaara softly said, opening the door. "There are some things I'm sure Deidara-san would like to discuss privately with you. Goodbye, Sasori-san." With that, he left, leaving the two all alone.

"What happened, Deidara?" Sasori asked, looking at his shivering partner, concerned.

"N-nothing, Danna," he stuttered, looking down.

"I know you're lying; it's obvious. What happened?" This was said more forcefully, and the blonde visibly flinched away from him, but said nothing.

Sasori was getting impatient. He wanted to help Deidara, but he couldn't if he didn't know what happened. After three more failed attempts to get the bomber to talk, the redhead just snapped.

"Tell me what the hell happened to you, you brat!" He smacked the Iwa-nin across the face as hard as he could, the force of it making the younger man fall off the bed.

Sasori looked at his hand in shame as he realized what he just did. He was sickened when he noticed that the blonde's blood covered his palm, the crimson liquid contrasting with his skin. "Deidara," he said softly, "I'm sorry."

As soon as he took a step towards his partner, the blonde whimpered, covering his face with his hands. "Don't hurt me, Kuroi-san, un! Please, haven't you done enough to me?"

Sasori had no idea what the Iwa-nin was talking about, so he pulled his hands away from his face to try to talk to him once more. He accidentally touched one of the bomber's palm-mouths, which caused the younger man to whimper.

"Please! Leave my hands alone! You already kissed them, un!"

_What the hell is he talking about? _The puppeteer was starting to get frightened. He wrapped his arms around the shaking blonde, who gasped and pulled away. "No! I won't let you touch me again, un! You were inside me once; isn't that enough for you, Kuroi-san?" He buried his face in his arms and cried.

Sasori was heartbroken. He didn't know exactly what happened, but he was positive that someone besides Orochimaru raped his partner. He gently grabbed the bomber's chin so that he could look into his eyes. "It's me," he said gently. "It's Sasori. Whatever happened, you're safe now."

"Danna?" the Iwa-nin asked, his eyes getting more focused. He slowly crawled over to the redhead and hugged him. "I'm so sorry! I'm so weak, un!"

"What happened to you?" asked the puppet master

"I was just a kid; I couldn't defend myself. Not against my guardian. I was a genin; he was a jounin, un. He hurt me so much, so I blew up my house and almost killed him. But he came after me and he…"

The redhead guessed what Deidara was implying. "Why are you just remembering this now?"

"Onoki-sensei blocked it, but I don't know why the genjutsu broke. I remember it so clearly, Sasori no danna. Why can I still feel the pain of it? It's been eight years since it happened, un!"

Sasori wrapped his own arms around the younger man and held him close. "You were only eleven when he did that to you?" he murmured, more to himself than to the blonde. He recalled when he himself was that age, and remembered reading books and creating puppets. He wasn't happy, but he was safe; Chiyo would never hurt him. _Your childhood shouldn't have been like that, Deidara. You should have had a proper family._

He stroked the blonde's hair, causing his whimpering to subside. "Please, don't disown me, Danna; I didn't do anything wrong, un," he whispered.

"I would never abandon you, Deidara, not now, not ever." He felt a powerful urge to protect his partner, almost as if the bomber was his younger brother. _Or son_, he suddenly thought. _If I ever see that Kuroi guy, I'll kill him slowly and painfully! He'll pay for hurting Deidara so badly!_

He was broken out of his thoughts when he heard the door open. He was shocked to see Aoi walk into the room. Without saying anything, the brunette walked over to him and Deidara and kneeled down next to the blonde, wrapping her arms around him, her hands touching Sasori's. "You're safe now, Deidara," she whispered, leaning in to kiss his forehead.

For once, Sasori wasn't jealous.

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When Gaara walked back into the guest room to check on Sasori and Deidara before he went to sleep, he saw that Aoi—who must have come into the room after he left—and Sasori were sleeping on the ground, their arms wrapped around Deidara, who was sleeping in between them.

The Kazekage smiled softly at this, and quietly walked out of the room.

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And that's the end of Chapter Thirty-Nine!

I know the part with Itachi seems really random, but I wanted to show what was happening at the Akatsuki base while Sasori, Deidara, and Aoi are on their mission.

I know Deidara seems very weak in this chapter, but it's because what he remembered tore his mind apart until he finally snapped and broke down.

This chapter takes place in the evening, if that was confusing to anyone.

I thought this chapter was really sad, so I hope it wasn't too depressing.

I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter!


	41. Chapter Forty: Isolation

Welcome to Chapter Forty! I seriously didn't think I would ever get this far!

In this chapter, Deidara will still be very paranoid and jumpy because of his breakdown.

Sakura will also apologize to Aoi, and the two will get closer.

This chapter will focus on Aoi, Sakura, and Deidara.

Many thanks go to everyone who reviewed and/or added this to their favorites/alerts list. You all are awesome!

I don't own Naruto.

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Chapter Forty: Isolation

When Aoi woke up, the first thing she saw was Deidara looking at her. She felt a twinge of sadness in her heart when she looked at his appearance. His once-tanned skin was now pale, the deep, self-inflicted scratches on his face and arms contrasting horrifyingly. His eyes were dull, with dark bags under them. _He looks like an entirely different person. _

"I take it you didn't sleep well," she stated. Gaara had told her that the bomber had a breakdown, but she didn't think he'd look this bad.

"I couldn't." His voice was different, too. Instead of its normal upbeat and slightly cocky tone, it was soft and flat. Aoi didn't like it. Her stomach clenched as he continued. "The nightmares were too bad. Every time I'd fall into a peaceful sleep, _they'd _appear, and they'd…touch…me, un."

Aoi didn't know what exactly happened to her friend, but she knew it must have been bad. She turned to where Sasori was sleeping to ask him, and was surprised to find that he wasn't there.

"Danna went to go discuss something with Gaara-sama," Deidara explained. "He said he would bring us breakfast afterwards, un."

The brunette nodded. After a couple moments of silence, she asked, "What happened to you?"

The blonde looked up, eyes filled with pain. "I was on the roof of an abandoned building, and people were walking on the street below me. They said something that must have made me recall a blocked memory, un."

"What sort of memory?" Aoi wasn't sure that she wanted to hear it, but she knew that she needed to, in order to help the Iwa-nin recover.

"It was the memory of when…" he paused, grabbing his arms. "When my guardian raped me."

"What?" The brunette felt ice travel up her entire body. She found herself asking, "How old were you?"

"Eleven." Deidara started to grip his arms tighter, his nails digging into his skin once more. "I let it happen; I had to. I wasn't strong enough." His eyes started to get unfocused. "When I asked him why he was torturing me, he told me to shut up. He didn't go easy on me, even though I was only a child. I barely understood what was going on; all I comprehended was pain, un. It hurt so badly!"

The blonde started to shake, his breathing becoming more rapid. Aoi didn't want him to start hyperventilating, so she wrapped her arms around him and ran her fingers through his hair, smoothing it out. _What sort of bastard rapes a child? _She now understood why Deidara was so broken. _He barely recovered from what Orochimaru did to him, only to realize that it wasn't the first time he was sexually assaulted? It's a wonder he's still talking!_

After a minute, the bomber's breathing went back to normal, and his eyes got more focused. "I see Kuroi—my guardian—and Orochimaru every time I close my eyes. I feel them inside me; it's disgusting! When will it stop, un?" He looked pleadingly up at Aoi, his visible eye filling with tears. "I can't take it anymore."

"You really need sleep; your body won't function properly without it," she suggested. "I don't think you'll ever forget the pain of what happened to you, but I guarantee that Sasori and I will help you recover."

The Iwa-nin nodded, his eyes drooping. He slowly laid back down on the floor, curling his legs to his chest. To help him sleep better, Aoi laid beside him, wrapping her arms around him. She only let go when she was sure he was asleep.

She sat up when she heard a quiet knock on the door. "Come in," she said softly. "Deidara's just fallen asleep, so be quiet." She thought that Sasori would be the one to walk into the room, and was surprised to see Sakura instead.

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When Sakura entered the guest room where Aoi was staying, she expected many things. She thought that she would be seeing the brunette and Sasori sleeping in the same bed, since Gaara said that they were together. She didn't expect to see the girl sitting on the floor in what seemed to be a defensive position in front of a sleeping Deidara.

When the kunoichi walked closer, she realized that there were deep scratches all over the blonde's face and arms, some of them still bleeding.

"What happened?" she asked.

Aoi warily moved to the side so that Sakura could examine the sleeping blonde further. "Don't even think of hurting him," the older girl warned.

The pink-haired girl had no intention of doing such a thing, but since she was the one who almost killed Aoi, she knew that the brunette didn't trust her. _I hope she will forgive me one day. _She was snapped out of her thoughts when she looked closer at the scratches. "These look like they were self-inflicted!"

"They were," Aoi answered coldly.

"Why did he do this to himself?" she asked, gently healing the bomber's wounds.

"Why should I tell you? If I did, you'll probably blab about it to all your friends in Konoha and use his weakness against him to hurt him as much as possible. I won't let you do that to him!"

"Look, Aoi-san, I'm sorry!" Sakura burst out. "I was wrong to attack you without knowing your side of the story. I feel horrible! Can we just start over?"

The older girl looked shocked, but then she softly smiled. "I know I shouldn't forgive you this soon, but I will. If you want to know my side of the story, here it is. Sasori, Deidara and I came here to remove the Ichibi from Gaara-sama. We need Chiyo-sama to bring him back to life afterwards, since the process is ninety-nine percent fatal. We don't want him to die, and we were never going to attack Sunagakure. That is the truth."

Sakura felt ashamed that she didn't listen to Aoi before. She could tell that she wasn't lying. _Maybe these Akatsuki members are different than the others. _"I believe you; it sounds like you really want to help Gaara-sama."

"I do," the brunette answered. "I want him to have a good life, and to not bear the burden of being a jinchuuriki." With that, she stood up and walked over to the bed. "I don't want to wake up Deidara, so we can talk here. If I tell you this, you must promise you will, under no circumstances, ever reveal this to anyone else."

The green-eyed girl nodded and sat on the bed with Aoi. "What happened to Deidara-san?" She added an honorific onto the Iwa-nin's name because, despite him being her enemy, she respected him for stopping Sasori from punching her that night at the hot springs.

After the shorter girl explained what had happened to the blonde, Sakura felt even more ashamed that she said that she hoped he suffered. _No one deserves to be raped twice, _she thought. "So that bastard Kuroi pretty much made his life a living hell. How long was this going on?" Being a medic-nin, she instantly wanted to help people who were in pain; it was just her instinct.

"Well, Deidara said that he was beaten almost every day since he was adopted by that awful man before he was rescued by the Tsuchikage," Aoi replied. "He told me once that his parents died when he was eight, and was adopted soon after. So I'd say three years."

"Three years? He suffered every day for three years?" Sakura's heart was breaking for the Iwa-nin. "Why didn't the people of Iwa help him sooner? Someone must have realized what was going on! Maybe they could have stopped it before it got as far as it did."

"I don't know, Sakura-san," answered the brunette. "Maybe they did notice, but just didn't care. I know that Iwa is very different than Konoha. Deidara said that he was alienated because of his kekkei-genkai."

"I don't understand, Aoi-san. If a child shows up to school with bruises all over him, shouldn't someone try to help him, no matter what? Who cares if he has mouths on his hands; Deidara-san could have died, for Kami's sake!" Sakura didn't know why she was so angered at Deidara's treatment; she didn't know him very well, and they were supposed to be enemies. _Maybe it's because he was so young when everything happened. _Sakura couldn't stand it when people were violent to children; it made her sick.

She was also reminded of Naruto. He and the bomber shared the same hair and eye color, and both were isolated and ignored by people because of something they couldn't control. When she thought of her friend going through what the Iwa-nin did, her stomach clenched up. For once, she was glad that Naruto lived on his own.

"Aoi-san," she said. "I would also like to apologize for what I said about Deidara-san. I was just so angry; I didn't mean it."

"I know," the older girl answered. "I know you're a kind person, Sakura-san, and I realize you were just trying to protect the ones you love."

The kunoichi was awestruck. _How is she still so understanding and forgiving if she's an Akatsuki member? _She saw the sadness in Aoi's eyes when she was explaining Deidara's life, so she decided to change the subject. "Gaara-sama told me that you were Akasuna's lover."

At that statement, the brunette blushed. "You could say that, Sakura-san."

Sakura's voice turned serious. "Is he good to you? He seems like he could be the controlling type, based on his page in the bingo book."

"He's not at all what you'd expect."

"Um have you…" The pink-haired girl blushed and let her sentence trail off.

Aoi got what Sakura was implying, and blushed even more. "No. And before you say it, despite his impatience, he's not forcing me into anything."

The kunoichi nodded. She wished that she thought of something better to discuss; the thought of Sasori and Aoi having sex creeped her out.

The brunette must have felt just as awkward, for she cleared her throat and said, "Is there a way for Deidara to heal faster?"

"I am a medic-nin, not a psychoanalyst. I can only fix physical wounds."

Aoi sighed. "Deep down, I knew that. I just don't want Deidara to suffer; he's been through so much."

Sakura did something she thought she would never do; she hugged the older girl. "I'm sorry. I wish I could heal him." This wasn't a lie; if there was a way for her to heal the blonde, she would have done it.

The brunette was about to say something else when a loud scream made both girls turn around.

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Deidara's sleep started out peaceful; he was finally able to relax. However, just like everything good in his life, it didn't last for long. He found himself reliving the memory of when he was first adopted by Kuroi.

"_Hello, there! What's your name?" A tall, black-haired man smiled at Deidara, who was sitting on his bed in his small room in the Iwa orphanage. _

_"D-Deidara, un," the child stuttered._

_"I'm Jinkaku Kuroi," the man stated, holding out his hand for the boy to shake._

_"I can't shake it, un," the blonde whispered, looking down._

_"And why not?"_

_Deidara held up his hands, revealing the mouths on them. "You wouldn't want them to drool on you, would you?" _

_"That's all right; I don't mind!" Kuroi smiled, but this time, there was something else to it. The man's cheeks were slightly pink, and the smile looked hungry. Deidara didn't understand what it meant; all he saw was someone who wasn't disgusted by his kekkei-genkai._

_"I'll take him!" the man exclaimed, smiling again. _

_The head of the orphanage looked shocked. "Really? You want _him_? The freak?" He shrugged his shoulders. "Your choice, though. I'm just glad you're taking him off our hands."_

_Deidara's eyes filled with tears, and his face burned with shame. He knew that everyone hated him because of his hands and chest. He wished that people would stop talking about him like he wasn't there. _

_Just as the first tears began to fall, Kuroi looked at him. "Let's go, Deidara; you belong to me now."_

_The child nodded and shakily slid off of the bed, grabbing the man's hand on a reflex. Kuroi licked his lips and smiled once more, walking out the door._

_As soon as the two walked into Kuroi's house, the man slammed the door behind him, the smile falling off his face. He grabbed Deidara by the throat and slammed him against the wall. _

_"You belong to me," he snarled, his face getting uncomfortably close to the blonde's. "That means you will do what I say, when I say it! You got that, you freak of nature?" Leaning in closer to whisper in the terrified child's ear, a feral smile appeared on his face. "And if you ever disobey me, I'll cut the tongues out of those disgusting mouths of yours."_

_It was then when Deidara started to cry. "Shut up, you baby!" Kuroi ordered, slapping the blonde across the face with his free hand and tightening his grip around his throat. _

_He carelessly dropped the child to the ground when he started gasping for air, kicking him in the stomach._

The memory changed to one three years later…

_It was May fifth: Deidara's eleventh birthday. Kuroi's gift to the blonde was testing out all his new methods of torture on him._

_Halfway through the agonizing six hours, the child had asked why the man was doing this to him. Kuroi had responded, "You are helping the interrogation corps of Iwagakure. You should be honored."_

_The blonde tried to stay strong, but it soon became too much for his small body and mind to take. He gave in to the pain and screamed as loud as he could, until Kuroi gagged him with some fabric he found. Deidara's tears mixed with the blood dripping from the countless cuts all over his body, the salt in them stinging the wounds._

_After what seemed like an eternity, the blonde was finally untied, and he dropped from the chair he sat in for the last six hours onto the floor. He closed his eyes, relieved that it was finally over. He was about to give into unconsciousness when he felt an excruciating pain on his back. He cried out and tried to get up, only to feel one of Kuroi's feet on the back of his neck, forcing him to stay laying down. He realized exactly what was happening to him when he heard the whistling sound of a whip flying through the air, and the searing pain on his back when it hit its mark. _

_"You just couldn't stay quiet, like a good test subject, could you? COULD YOU?" screamed Kuroi, whipping the small boy until he couldn't feel the pain of it any longer. He did feel it when he was roughly picked up and tossed against the wall. He screamed, for all the agony he went through and for the stupidity of him trusting Kuroi. He slid to the floor, letting himself fall into the bliss that was unconsciousness…_

Deidara opened his eyes. He started shaking until he looked up, realizing that Sakura and Aoi had their arms wrapped around him.

"Kami!" Sakura yelled. "His eye is bleeding!"

The blonde looked down to see his left hand covered in blood. That's when he felt the agonizing pain in his left eye. _What have I done?_

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And that's the end of Chapter Forty. I know it seemed filler-ish; I just had a very stressful day today. (I had to draw nineteen panels of a storyboard for a short film).

I wanted to show that Aoi and Sakura were becoming friends. I hope Sakura wasn't too OOC.

Deidara didn't remove his own eye, don't worry. It's just completely blinded now.

I know this wasn't my best chapter; I'm sorry.


	42. Chapter FortyOne: Snap

Welcome to Chapter Forty-One.

This chapter will focus on Sakura, Deidara, Sasori, and Aoi.

I'm sorry if the whole part about Deidara's eye confused you. It will be explained in this chapter.

I'm also sorry if these chapters aren't my best. I'm very stressed out because of school at the moment.

A big thank-you goes out to everyone who reviewed! You all are awesome! I'd also like to thank all anonymous reviewers. I loved your reviews; I wish I could reply to them!

*Warning: This chapter contains mature themes*

I don't own Naruto.

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Chapter Forty-One: Snap

Seeing blood dripping down the side of Deidara's face, Sakura hastily brushed aside the bangs that covered the Iwa-nin's left eye. "Kami! His eye is bleeding!" she exclaimed.

"What?" Aoi asked, concerned.

"He must have scratched it while he was having his nightmare." Looking into the blonde's working eye, which was starting to become unfocused, the kunoichi said, "Deidara-san, can you see out of your left eye?"

"No," he whispered.

The pink-haired girl narrowed her eyes and tucked the bomber's bangs behind his ear. She needed nothing to be in the way when she worked. "Deidara-san, this is going to hurt. I'd suggest holding onto Aoi-san's hand."

Deidara just looked at her blankly, so she grabbed one of his hands and placed it onto Aoi's. "Just squeeze her hand if it hurts, okay?"

Not waiting for the blonde's response, Sakura channeled chakra into her hand, making it glow green. She carefully placed her pointer and middle fingers on the surface of the Iwa-nin's eye.

As soon as she did this, he whimpered, jerking away from her. "Deidara-san," she said patiently. "If you want your eye to be healed, you'll have to cope with the pain for a couple of minutes. Can you do that?"

"S-sure, un."

The medic nodded, starting the healing process over again. The bomber whimpered once more, but he didn't move this time. As Sakura checked how severe the damage was, she discovered something that made her pull her hand away. "His eye has been damaged for eight years!" she whispered, mostly to herself. "No wonder that small scratch finally blinded it." She wondered what had happened to cause the injury, and was sickened when she remembered the blonde's past. "That poor child," she murmured, shaking her head. She continued her work until the scratch was healed.

When she was done, she wiped her hands on her skirt. "Can you see now?"

The Iwa-nin looked at her, eyes still unfocused. "It's as good as it's going to get, un. Thanks, Okaasan."

"What?" Sakura's eyes went wide.

Deidara squinted his eyes and looked at the kunoichi once more, tightly wrapping his arms around her. "Thank you, Okaasan," he whispered. "You didn't abandon me after all, un."

Sakura couldn't take it any longer. She knew that shinobi were supposed to be emotionless, but she couldn't help it; she let a tear slide down her face. She pulled the broken Iwa-nin closer to her, hugging him as well. "I'm sorry, Deidara-san," she whispered. "I'm not your okaasan. I'm Sakura."

"S-Sakura-san?" he stuttered, eyes focusing more. "Yes, of course, un." He looked straight into her eyes as he said, "You have her eyes, though."

The pink-haired girl kept her one arm around the blonde, the other smoothing his hair out. The two sat like that for awhile, until the medic realized that she forgot to relay the message that Gaara wanted her to give to Aoi.

She gently removed the bomber's arms and stood up. "I forgot to tell you this, Aoi-san. We can see Chiyo-sama today!"

"What?" The brunette stood up as well. "When are we going?"

"After we eat breakfast," stated Sakura. "Get dressed and meet me downstairs."

"Hn." Aoi nodded. The grunt reminded her of how Sasuke used to respond to her questions, and she felt a pang of grief. It passed when she looked at Deidara; she remembered that the youngest Uchiha made the bomber relive some of his traumas, and was sickened.

After the two girls were done eating breakfast, they headed out to Chiyo's residence. Aoi looked nervous, but Sakura was excited. Chiyo was one of the most famous women in Suna, a master of puppets and poisons.

When they got to Chiyo and her brother Ebizo's house, the latter let them in after they explained why they were here. "Don't expect Chiyo to agree with you," the old man warned.

Both girls gulped, and Sakura opened the door to Chiyo's office.

00000

After Aoi and Sakura left, Deidara was all alone. He was embarrassed that he confused Sakura with his mother, and was afraid that he sounded weak. Though he was extremely tired, he was afraid to go to sleep again because he didn't want to injure himself further if he had another nightmare.

However, his fatigue became too great, and he fell asleep once more.

_Deidara slid painfully out of his bed. After he had been tortured the night before, Kuroi had roughly sewn up the deep gashes on his back, making sure to cause as much pain as possible. He also sewed up the other, less deep cuts on the child's arms and legs. The last thing that the jounin said to the blonde before throwing him in his room was, "You're going to school tomorrow, or so help me yesterday will seem like a tiny scratch compared to what I'm gonna do to you tomorrow!"_

_Deidara sighed as he slowly undressed, looking at himself in the mirror. Bruises covered his entire body, from his fingers to his ankles. He fought back sobs as he carefully bandaged his arms and legs, being extra gentle when wrapping up the palms of his hands. Kuroi had stuck senbon into the tongues of his palm-mouths as part of his torture, and at the moment, the blonde felt like his hands were on fire. He could barely grasp the bandages without uttering a soft whimper of pain. He quickly threw on a shirt with extra-long sleeves (he hadn't worn short sleeved shirts in years; he didn't want to expose the bruises), and standard shinobi pants. After this, he brushed his long, waist-length hair until not a strand was out of place and limped down the stairs, praying that Kuroi wasn't awake. A higher power must have heard the child's pleas, for his cruel guardian was still asleep. He grabbed a protein bar and hurried out the door; he was already late._

_When he stepped into the classroom, his teacher had already begun teaching. "Late again, Jinkaku," he drawled. _

_Deidara winced at Kuroi's surname; he didn't want to be associated in any way with the man. It made him feel uncomfortable. He limped to his seat as fast as he could. He could feel the eyes on the other students as he walked down the aisles._

_"Freak," one whispered._

_"His disgusting hand-mouths probably drool all over his desk. I'm not borrowing a pencil from him!" another hissed._

_"Go die; no one wants you here," said a third, glaring at him._

_"Yeah," said the first boy, named Kaneko Hidenori. "Go kill yourself, you worthless piece of crap!"_

_Deidara said nothing as he took his seat; he was used to this sort of treatment from his classmates. As usual, the teacher said nothing._

_When class let out for break, the blonde found a tree to sit under. He winced as his back met with the rough bark, but leaned against it anyways. He had barely slept the night before; he was extremely tired. _

_Just as he was about to fall asleep, he felt something sharp slash across his face. "Hey, un!" he exclaimed, bolting upright. He brought a hand to his face and realized it was bleeding._

_"And that's how you properly throw a shuriken!" exclaimed Hidenori, snickering. The rest of his friends laughed._

_Once again, Deidara said and did nothing. He had neither the physical strength nor the willpower to stand up to his tormentor. He was used to being physically and emotionally hurt; he was no longer bothered by schoolyard bullies. None of them could ever compare to Kuroi._

_"Okay, you guys," Hidenori sneered. "Let's teach the she-male a lesson."_

Do your worst, _thought the smaller boy, lowering his head. _I don't care anymore.

_He looked up just in time to see a fist fly towards his nose. On a reflex, he ducked, and the taller boy's hand smashed into the tree._

_"Shit!" he screamed, rubbing his sore hand. "You're gonna pay for that, freak. Get him, boys!"_

_Deidara didn't know how many people were attacking him. _Five? Six? _All he comprehended was the pain of the wounds on his back reopening, the stitches tearing away from his flesh as he was kicked to the ground. He closed his eyes to prevent the tears from falling. This only strengthened the sound of the voices jeering at him and the pain as every punch and kick connected with his small body._

_He didn't know how long this went on for; time started to slow down for him. After awhile, though, everyone disappeared, leaving him lying in the dirt like a dead animal. He relaxed, uncurling his body and softly moaning in pain, falling into a painful sleep._

_"Kid," a voice said. "Get up."_

_Deidara opened his eyes, looking into the ones of his teacher. "Sensei, un."_

_"Come on kid, school's over. You've missed the last two hours of class." He stuck out his hand to help the blonde get up. _

_The child, thinking that someone finally cared about him, reached out to grab his teacher's hand. When he made the contact, the man suddenly pulled his hand away. The blonde realized that the bandages had fallen off his hands, leaving his kekkei-genkai exposed. "Filthy child!" he muttered under his breath, though loud enough for Deidara to hear. _

_The boy's face reddened with shame, and he shakily got up on his own._

_"You'll never become a great shinobi, or even a genin for that matter," stated the teacher, eyes coldly looking at the blonde with contempt. "You couldn't even fight back; how pathetic. You're a disappointment. You're good for nothing." With that, he turned around, never looking back._

_As soon as Deidara was sure that the man was gone, he fell to the ground, sobbing. He cried because of the pain, because he was different, and most of all, he cried for the love he knew he would never receive. _

Deidara bolted awake. Feeling wetness on his face, he brought a hand to his cheek. He realized that he had been crying in his sleep. Not wanting to show more weakness, even when no one was in the room, he wiped his eyes and fixed his hair. Suddenly, he heard an onslaught of voices in his head:

_"Freak," _

_"Worthless piece of crap!"_

_"Good for nothing,"_

_"Filthy child,"_

_"Disgusting hand-mouths!"_

_"Go die."_

The bomber grabbed his head as the voices got louder and louder:

_"Go kill yourself."_

_"Go kill yourself!"_

_"GO KILL YOURSELF!"_

Deidara couldn't take it anymore; he snapped. Swiftly standing up, he threw open the door and ran out of the room, the voices chanting the last phrase over and over again. He ran past surprised Suna-nin, and ran up and up flights of stairs until he found the door that he was looking for: the one marked 'roof'. He threw that one open as well, and stepped out onto the roof of the Kazekage's tower, the wind blowing through his hair.

He just stood there for awhile—he didn't know how long—until he decided that it was time. _Time for me to die. It's what everyone wanted all along, isn't it? _The voices agreed with him, the chanting getting more rapid as he took steps toward the edge.

"Danna," he said aloud, "Aoi…Gaara. Itachi. Tobi. I'm sorry, un. I just can't take it anymore." With that, he stretched his arms out, almost as if he was mimicking a bird in flight, and leaned over the edge, letting gravity do the rest.

The tears fell freely as he started to slip over the edge. _I'll be with you soon, Okaasan, Otousan._

Suddenly, he felt a hand grab onto his arm, roughly pulling him back up, tightly embracing him. "Deidara!" a familiar voice called, worry completely overtaking it. "What the hell are you doing?"

All adrenaline left the Iwa-nin, and he fell limp in his partner's arms, sobbing.

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Sasori heard the commotion after he just finished talking with Gaara. People were saying something about an insane-looking blonde running up the stairs leading to the roof. _Deidara, _he thought. _Why the hell would he be running around here without using a henge? And why the roof?_

Suddenly, it hit him, his half-lidded eyes opening wide. _Oh, Kami! He wouldn't! _He ran up the stairs as fast as his legs could carry him, throwing open the door to the roof just as his partner stretched out his arms, ready to fall. With one last burst of strength, the puppeteer ran to the edge, grabbing onto one of Deidara's arms just as he fell.

He roughly pulled the bomber back onto the roof, wrapping his arms around him tightly. "Deidara! What the hell are you doing?"

The blonde fell limp, sobbing. "I'm sorry, Danna. So, so sorry, un!"

"Why would you do that, huh?" Sasori noticed his legs were shaking.

"I couldn't take it anymore! All the memories, all the horrible stuff that happened to me, kept playing over and over in my head! It was too much, un! No one loves me anyways, so I figured, what's the point in living if I'm just going to be miserable."

"Aoi loves you, Itachi loves you. Kisame loves you. Hell, even _Tobi _loves you. _I _love you!" He rubbed the younger man's back, almost like a parent comforts their child. "You are one of the two people who are precious to me, Deidara. I don't…I don't know what I would do without you." The puppet master meant every word of what he said. Though in the past, he tried to tell himself that the Iwa-nin wasn't important, that he was just a brat, a nuisance, he knew now that he always cared deeply for his partner, like he was his own son.

He sensed that Deidara was getting weaker, so he slowly moved into a sitting position, said blonde sitting on his lap, arms wrapped around the older man's neck. He closed his eyes, resting his head on Sasori's shoulder. "I love you too, Otousan, un," the bomber drowsily whispered.

Sasori's eyes widened at what he had just been called. He stared at the entire village, a small smile gracing his once-apathetic face.

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"What do you mean, 'no'?" Aoi asked.

"I mean exactly what I said. No," stated Chiyo, arms crossed. "Why should I remove the Shukaku? I was the one who sealed the beast inside Gaara. Plus, it is essential for keeping people from messing with Suna."

"Please?" the brunette pleaded.

"I gave you my answer, girl. I don't care if you're from another world. You may leave my home now."

Dejected, Aoi trudged out of the room, meeting with Sakura, who was waiting by the door. "I assume it didn't go well," said the kunoichi.

"Yeah. She refused."

As the two started to walk back to the Kazekage's tower, Aoi's eyes snapped open. She had a plan. "Hey, Sakura-san. Is there any chance that Naruto-san isn't busy at the moment?"

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And that's the end of Chapter Forty-One.

While I was writing Deidara's suicide attempt, I cried. This was the first time I've ever cried when reading my own writing; it was that sad to me.

While writing Deidara's part, I listened to music for the first time while writing this fanfic. I listened to 'Bring Me to Life' and 'Tourniquet' by Evanescence, 'We are Broken' by Paramore, and 'Concrete Angel' by Martina McBride. That last song makes me cry every time I listen to it. It reminded me of Deidara in this fanfic, which made it even more saddening.

Aw, Dei called Sasori 'Otou-san'. (I thought that was cute).

I know the part with Aoi, Sakura, and Chiyo seems rushed, but I really wanted to advance the plot without explaining their conversation. Sorry if it seems bad.

Yup, Naruto's going to be in this story soon. (Jiraiya too).

I hope you enjoyed the chapter; I know it was very depressing.

*Edit* Thank you Sapphire-Sama Dreamer for pointing out some typos. It was twelve midnight when I finished this chapter; I was super tired, but I wanted to finish it, XD. I'm also new to writing Japanese terms, so thank yous go to everyone who pointed out my mistake with okaasan and otousan. I'm a perfectionist, so I fixed it. Now I know how to write those terms right,


	43. Chapter FortyTwo: Sunshine

Welcome to Chapter Forty-Two! This one shouldn't be as depressing as its predecessor.

I am so sorry for the late update! I had a very stressful project in one of my classes that was taking up all my time.

This chapter combines the start of Deidara's healing process, and the actual plot. Plus, by the end of it, everyone's favorite hyper, blonde, blue-eyed jinchuuriki will enter the story, as well as everyone's favorite pervy sannin. Hopefully I won't butcher their characters too much. The chapter will also be more lighthearted than the last one. It probably won't nearly be as good as the last one, but I hope everyone enjoys it.

This chapter will focus on Itachi, Sasori, Deidara, and Aoi.

Many thanks go out to everyone who reviewed and/or added this story to their favorites/alerts lists; you are so awesome!

I don't own Naruto. –Sigh- And never will.

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Chapter Forty-Two: Sunshine

Itachi felt a twinge of discomfort in his heart. He had no idea why, but he had a feeling that something happened to the team that had been sent to Suna. He tried telling himself that he was being absurd, that he was just being paranoid because of Madara's note, but it was unsuccessful. There were many things the Sharingan could do, but seeing into the future was not one of them. Uchiha Itachi was not psychic, but he just had this…feeling…that something had gone wrong. Throughout the entire day, he had tried to ignore it, but with each passing hour, it grew worse. Finally, he could take it no longer; he swiftly walked to Pein's office, knocking on the door.

"Itachi-san?" the pierced man looked surprised to see the Uchiha.

"I need to go to Sunagakure!" he blurted out.

Surprise shown in the orange-haired man's ringed eyes. "Excuse me?"

Ever since Pein had forced Sasori to poison Aoi, he had been quieter, more distant. Itachi was okay with this; as long as his leader didn't attack anyone, he was fine with his new, silent personality.

"I think something went wrong with the mission."

"How do you know that?" asked Pein, raising an orange eyebrow. "I didn't know you were clairvoyant." This was said sarcastically.

"I'm not, Leader-sama." The raven-haired man clenched his fists. "I just have a gut feeling that Sasori-san, Deidara-san, and Aoi-san could use my assistance." He didn't say it out loud, be he was concerned about the blonde the most. He knew how fragile he was, despite his cocky demeanor.

"Do you really think they need help, Itachi-san?"

"I am not sure. But it's a win-win situation," explained the Uchiha. "If they do need help, I'll be there, but if they don't, they have an extra person, just in case they need assistance in the future."

As the pierced man thought about this, Itachi held his breath. He released it as Pein finally answered. "Very well, Itachi-san. Seeing as I cannot convince you otherwise, you can go to Sunagakure. As I told the other team, stay hidden, and use a henge at all times when in the village. Good luck."

The raven-haired man only narrowed his eyes and bowed his head as he left the room, but he was smiling inside. He packed his bags, told Kisame where he was going, and left for Suna.

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Sasori watched the clouds drift across the sky, every once and awhile rubbing the sleeping blonde's back. With Deidara sitting on the puppeteer's lap, his head resting against the older man's shoulder, the position looked extremely suggestive. But Sasori didn't care. The bomber had almost killed himself, and that fact sent ice through the redhead's—though his infamous hair was black because of the henge he was using—heart. The Iwa-nin had never seemed like the suicidal type; he was so filled with life, but the puppeteer knew that his partner had been pushed to the point where he would snap because of all of his horrid childhood experiences. This fact is what saddened him the most.

As the blonde started to unconsciously shiver, Sasori wrapped his arms around him, pulling him so close that the bomber's forehead now rested on his own. They stayed in this position until the puppet master heard someone's throat being cleared.

Keeping one hand on the back of Deidara's head to support it, Sasori turned around, looking into the eyes of a girl with her hair in four pigtails. _Gaara's sister. Tem-something, _he thought. _Oh, Temari!_

"I heard there was some commotion on the roof," she said, hands on her hips. "You do know that you aren't permitted to be up here. You and your girlfriend better leave before you get into trouble."

"Yes, Temari-san," Sasori muttered. He didn't like the fact that Deidara had just been called a woman, but it was better than his cover being blown. He picked up the still-sleeping Iwa-nin bridal-style and walked down the stairs, Temari following after him.

"You must be Aoi-san's teammates; Gaara has spoken a lot about you. What are your names again?"

The puppeteer thought quickly. "I am Iwao, and my partner is Ichiko."

"Ah, Ichiko is such a pretty name! You're girlfriend is very lucky," said the pigtailed girl.

If Sasori was capable of it, he would have blushed; he was extremely uncomfortable with being called Deidara's lover.

"What happened to her, anyways?" inquired the Suna-nin.

"Well, Ichiko wasn't feeling very well, so she ran up to the roof to get some fresh air. She's been having some trouble sleeping lately, so when she got there, she passed out from exhaustion."

"Ah, having trouble sleeping, eh?" Temari winked.

The puppet master nearly dropped Deidara when he comprehended what the girl had implied. _Dear Kami! How can she and Gaara be related? _He was relieved when the kunoichi finally left him alone, giving him time to go back to the guest room to release the henge on himself and talk to Deidara, who was slowly waking up.

When Sasori finally put the blonde on the bed, his eyes started to open. "D-danna?" he rubbed his eyes sleepily. "How'd I get back here, un?"

"You fell asleep on the roof," the redhead explained. "I carried you back here."

"You…carried me, un?" Deidara's visible eye widened. "Thank you," he muttered under his breath.

The puppeteer nodded. "Look, Deidara. We need to talk."

"If it's about what happened on the roof, I really don't want to talk about it."

Sasori was shocked at how cold his partner's voice turned. It reminded him of how his own voice used to sound. _That doesn't suit him. _He knew that the blonde's mind had finally shattered, and wanted to help him heal. "You have to tell me what made you want to end your life, Dei." The redhead was surprised that he gave the Iwa-nin a nickname besides 'brat'; that was something he swore he would never do.

When he said that, the bomber seemed to let all his emotions escape. Tears slid down his face, and his hands tightly gripped his shirt. "Everyone wanted me dead, un. So many people, so many people. I heard all their voices in my head; I couldn't take it any more, Danna." His voice became softer. "Maybe he was right, maybe all that I was good for was being his pleasure-slave, and I even screwed _that _up. Maybe if I let him do what he wanted to me, I might have been worth something to him. What's wrong with me, Sasori no danna? Why do people hate me?"

Sasori was sickened at his words, especially the part about being Kuroi's slave. Brushing the younger man's bangs aside, exposing his ruined eye, he gently but firmly grasped his chin. Looking into Deidara's eyes, he stated, "I meant what I said before. People care about you, myself included. If you stayed with that man, you'd be dead, or insane. Never wish that upon yourself! EVER!" This was said so forcefully that the bomber flinched, turning away.

Wrapping his arms around the blonde, he pulled him close. "I'm glad that you were brought into the Akatsuki, Dei. I don't know…I don't know what I would do without you. You bring life into this organization."

The bomber's eyes widened, and his tears finally stopped falling. He rubbed them off of his face and smiled at his partner. Not a smile coated in pain or sadness, but a genuine smile.

Sasori's heart grew warm when he saw this. Giving the younger man one final hug, he let go of him.

As soon as he ended the embrace, the door opened, and Aoi and Sakura strode into the room.

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"Chiyo-sama refused," stated the brunette, walking over to Sasori and sitting next to him on the chair. Sakura sat on the bed next to Deidara.

"I told you that would happen; my grandmother is not swayed easily." The redhead shook his head and wrapped one of his arms around Aoi. Sakura stared at them, her mouth slightly agape. Turning to the kunoichi, he snapped, "What the hell are you staring at, Haruno?"

The two glared for awhile until Aoi cleared her throat. "As I was saying, my original plan did not work. But I was expecting this."

Both Sasori and Deidara looked at her expectantly, while Sakura slightly nodded her head, knowing where this was going.

"Since she refused, I thought of a person whose…unusual attitude…could help convince her." She paused for effect, then continued. "That person is Uzumaki Naruto, the Kyuubi jinchuuriki."

"What?" asked the redhead, tilting his head. "What the hell would that _kid _be able to accomplish?"

"Oh, believe me; Naruto-san can turn anything in his favor." Aoi chuckled, and Sakura smiled in agreement.

"Okay. If we did go with your plan, would Uzumaki even be able to come here?" asked the puppet master.

"If Gaara-sama tells him to, he will. The two are close."

"Oh, I get it. So they're lovers? Never would've expected that, un." The brunette was shocked that Deidara had only spoken once. She noticed that his voice was off, but chalked it up to his mental breakdown hours before.

"No!" she exclaimed, trying hard not to laugh. "They're just very good friends." She turned to look at Sakura, who had the most peculiar look on her face; she was blushing, and her eyes were squinted. Aoi didn't know whether the pink-haired girl was imagining dirty things or just trying not to laugh. _It's probably the second one._

"Anyways, as soon as we get Gaara-sama's approval, we'll send a message to Naruto-san, telling him to come here. How does that sound, Sasori, Deidara?"

"I'm not fond of meeting more Konaha-nin, but if it can't be helped, fine." The puppeteer waved his hand in agreement.

"Un," was all Deidara said, and Aoi took that as approval.

"Very well then. Sakura-san, will you please tell Kazekage-sama to meet us in here to discuss the message.

"All right." With that, the green-eyed kunoichi left the room, leaving Sasori, Deidara, and Aoi alone.

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Deidara couldn't stop staring at Aoi. There was no lust in his eyes, nor any romantic intent. He just liked looking at her, seeing her smiling face. In all honesty, she brightened his darkening world, just like Sasori did.

"Uh, Deidara, are you okay?" The blonde blushed, realizing that he had been caught.

Before he knew what he was doing, he shakily slid off of the bed and stood in front of Aoi, grabbing her hand and blurting, "Do you love me, un?"

The brunette's eyes widened, and the bomber realized how awkward that sounded. "I do," she answered, squeezing his hand. "You're my best friend, and I wouldn't know what to do if something ever happened to you."

At that moment, Deidara felt sick. He realized the seriousness of what he had almost done, and was glad that he didn't kill himself. He knew now how much his partner and Aoi would suffer if he had gone through with his plan. He silently thanked the heavens that Sasori had saved him.

As though his body was moving on its own, the Iwa-nin let go of the girl's hand, instead softly caressing the left side of her face. He blushed when he felt his palm-mouth lick her skin, but the brunette only smiled. She took his hand and brought the palm of it to her lips, softly kissing the mouth on it.

Unlike when Kuroi had forcefully kissed him, he felt no discomfort, only happiness. He turned to look at Sasori to see if he showed any signs of jealousy. He did not; surprisingly his eyes looked at him with…understanding.

Aoi finally released the blonde's hand, which was now very warm. For the first time in what seemed to be years, he truly felt at peace.

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A week had passed since Gaara and Aoi sent the message to Konoha. The brunette was starting to get very impatient, though her relationship with Sasori had kept her pretty occupied. Ever since she had almost died, the redhead had become increasingly romantic, though he didn't try to take things too far. Since the guest bedroom only had the couch and one double bed—and no one wanted to sleep on the floor—Sasori and Aoi shared the bed while Deidara got the couch. Despite Sakura's remarks, the former two did nothing while they were in bed together; all they did was sleep, and comfort Deidara if he had a nightmare.

After a few days, Gaara told his siblings who the brunette's comrades really were. They were incredibly shocked and upset at first, but they warily accepted Gaara's decision to let them stay, only because of the fact that they knew the young redhead knew what he was doing. Temari was extremely embarrassed when she found out that Deidara was a man, and could barely look at him without blushing. It didn't take her much time to realize that _Aoi _was the puppet master's lover, not Deidara.

The rest of the week passed by uneventfully, and at the moment, Aoi was sitting outside by the entrance gates, sketching the uninhabited desert. She was pulled away from her drawing when she saw a familiar spiky-haired blonde in an orange-and-black outfit running towards the gates. _He's finally here! _She looked again to realize that another person accompanied the young jinchuuriki on his mission. To her surprise, his traveling companion wasn't Kakashi, Tsunade, or Yamato. He was the tall, often perverted, frog sannin. _Jiraiya. _

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And that's the end of Chapter Forty-Two. This was a much more lighthearted chapter than the previous one, though the moment where Deidara talks about his suicide attempt to Sasori made me tear up when I re-read it.

I know that the chapter ended with a cliffhanger, but I wanted to save Naruto's and Jiraiya's formal introductions for the next chapter.

Also in the next chapter, everyone's favorite Uchiha (Itachi, XD) arrives in Suna. There will be some Ita/Dei!

I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter!


	44. Chapter FortyThree: Ignorance is Bliss

Welcome to Chapter Forty-Three!

I'm sorry for keeping everyone waiting; I had writer's block.

This chapter will formally introduce Naruto and Jiraiya. Itachi will also appear in it. (I love writing about him, XD). It will be a lighthearted chapter, but a few parts will be very serious.

There will be some Ita/Dei moments in this chapter!

This chapter will focus on Aoi, Sasori, Deidara, and Itachi.

Many thanks go out to everyone who reviewed!

*Warning: this chapter contains mature themes* (Not Ita/Dei related, XD).

I own Naruto, and the Akatsuki. (…I wish; that's never going to happen).

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Chapter Forty-Three: Ignorance is Bliss

When Naruto and Jiraiya passed through the gates, Aoi smiled, walking towards the two. "Hello, Naruto-san, Jiraiya-sama."

"Hel-lo, young lady!" Jiraiya looked extremely pleased with the honorific. "You must be Aoi-san. You look exactly like how Gaara described you in his letter."

Naruto glared at his mentor, who was winking at the brunette. "You can't be serious, Ero-sennin; she looks younger than me!"

Aoi sighed, smiling softly. She was actually happy that she got to meet Naruto and Jiraiya; she knew that they would put her in a good mood.

"Actually," she finally stated, "I'm eighteen."

The older man wiggled his eyebrows. "Oh-ho, I knew you were a woman. Your appearance might be one of a child, but you gave off this…mature aura." His voice dropped to a mutter. "That means all the things I'm thinking of right now are legal. That's good…"

The brunette decided to ignore that comment. "May I speak to Naruto-san alone, please? I need to brief him on the details of this mission."

"Sure thing, Aoi-chan." Jiraiya winked once more.

Naruto looked annoyed. Once they were out of the sannin's hearing range, he tapped Aoi on the shoulder. "I am so sorry, Aoi-san. Ero-sennin's like that all the time."

"It's all right, Naruto-san. I'm actually sort of flattered. No one ever thought I was beautiful where I used to live."

"You mean your world?" the young jinchuuriki questioned. "Gaara said in his note that you came here from a different world."

"Yeah, I did." The brunette unconsciously traced the scar on her palm.

"Do you miss it?" Naruto tilted his head.

"Not really." For some reason, Aoi didn't want to lie to the young blonde. "I wasn't really happy there." She really didn't feel like talking about the subject anymore, so she left it at that.

The jinchuuriki didn't question her further. Instead, he changed topics. "So, Aoi-san, what do you need to tell me? Gaara already wrote that we need to convince some old bat named Chiyo to heal him after his demon is removed."

Aoi didn't want to lie to Naruto right off the bat, but she didn't think he could handle the news—that her comrades were Akatsuki members—at this moment. Instead, she said, "Sakura-san and I will explain what is going on when I find her." _There. I know Sakura can convince him that Sasori and Deidara aren't all evil. _She remembered the kunoichi's hatred of the redhead, and corrected herself. _Well, maybe just Deidara. _

When the two found Sakura in the Kazekage's library, Aoi told the blonde to read something while she and Sakura discussed something privately.

"Sakura-san," she whispered, "I want you to tell Naruto who my friends are."

"Are you insane? He'll freak! If you've forgotten, Akatsuki members tried to kidnap him before!"

"But these are different members! If he got to know them, maybe he wouldn't hate them," Aoi stated.

"We don't have to tell him they're part of the Akatsuki, you know." The green-eyed girl tapped her feet. "He only knows who Hoshigaki Kisame and…Uchiha Itachi…are. You can say their real names, and he'll think they're your comrades and nothing more."

"That's all fine, but what about Jiraiya-sama? I bet _he _knows who they are," the older girl retorted.

"Oh yeah. I know; just tell him that they owe Jiraiya a lot of money, and that they want to keep their identities a secret from him."

Aoi rolled her eyes. "That sounds so dumb!" However, she nodded her head in agreement. "Though I suppose Naruto will believe it." As soon as she said this, she started to laugh. _Believe it! That has to be the worst catchphrase ever! The English dub can be so cringe-worthy sometimes. _

When she saw Sakura looking at her incredulously, she stopped giggling. _I must look so crazy. _She composed herself, clearing her throat. "I think it's time to talk to Naruto; I don't think he's lost in a book."

The kunoichi nodded, and the two walked back into the library.

"I'm going to prepare Sasori and Deidara for this," whispered the brunette. "Why don't you talk to Naruto?"

Sakura nodded, and Aoi ran out of the library and up to the bedroom where her friends were relaxing.

Aoi quietly opened the door; she didn't want to disturb Deidara if he was resting. She knew that he hadn't been sleeping well for a long time. She was surprised to see that the blonde was awake, but it was his appearance that shocked her more. Gone was the half-ponytail that was his trademark hairstyle; instead, he kept it down. His eyes looked duller than usual, and his hands tightly gripped the blanket that was on the couch.

"What's the matter with him?" She thought that the bomber was making progress; he had seemed so much happier earlier in the week.

"He just had a nightmare," Sasori explained. "I had to soundproof the room so people wouldn't hear him screaming."

"It was that bad?" Aoi's heart went out to the Iwa-nin; she hated seeing him this way.

The puppet master only nodded.

"Do you think he could handle some company?" she asked.

"What do you mean?"

After the brunette finished her explanation, her face turned serious. "I know you are part of the Akatsuki, but please don't harm Naruto; he's just a child."

"We have no intention of that; Deidara and I are not worried about capturing the Kyuubi. That isn't my top priority at the moment," stated the redhead.

Aoi was shocked; she had expected Sasori to want to capture as many bijuu as possible. "What is your top priority, then?"

"Helping Deidara heal."

The younger girl's eyes opened wide; she never knew the puppeteer cared so much about his partner. She suspected it, but she didn't know for sure. She was happy that her suspicions were right; it made Sasori even more attractive to her.

She was about to say something else when she heard the doorknob turn.

"They're here, un," said Deidara, his eyes narrowing.

As he said this, the door opened fully, revealing Sakura and Naruto.

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Sasori's eyes narrowed as he saw the two teenagers enter the room. His glare wasn't meant for Naruto; he never even met the kid. No, it was strictly for Sakura. He had no idea why the kunoichi hated him so much, but he would return it to her.

"Are these your teammates, Aoi-san?" asked the young blonde.

"Yeah," the brunette answered, stepping closer to the puppeteer. "The redhead is Sasori, and the blonde is Deidara. I presume Sakura told you about their…situation?"

Naruto nodded. "You owe the old perv money, eh?" He raised an eyebrow at Deidara.

The bomber just shrugged, looking down.

"You seem upset, Deidara-san," stated the Kyuubi jinchuuriki. He smiled, pumping his fist in the air. "I know just the thing to cheer you up, dattebayo!"

With that, he made a few hand signs, and in a flash, he transformed into a woman. A _nude _woman.

When the Iwa-nin saw this, his eyes snapped open. After a couple of seconds, he turned away, blushing furiously.

Sasori, however, wasn't impressed. "I don't see how that's attractive; you got the proportions all wrong! If women had breasts that large in reality, they would have chronic back pain. If they had waists that small, all their organs would be squished together and deformed. It's remedial anatomy, common sense."

The redhead turned to look at Aoi, and was surprised by her reaction.

"I was wondering what your famous 'sexy-jutsu' looked like in real life!" The brunette was laughing so hard, a tear trickled down her cheek. "That's hilarious!"

The puppet master was…amused, to say the least.

"So, you're not into this?" The Konoha-nin's voice was as feminine as his transformed body. "Maybe you'll like this better."

With a puff of smoke, the over-endowed woman disappeared. In her place was another, smaller naked woman: Aoi.

Sasori couldn't help it; he stared. A slight burning feeling crept through his body, but he didn't mind.

Sakura however, was not amused. She strode up to Naruto and harshly smacked the back of his head. "Baka! Don't be so insensitive!"

As soon as he got hit, the cerulean-eyed boy transformed back into his normal self. "C'mon, Sakura-chan, I was only joking!"

When the two continued to argue, the redhead shook his head, instead looking at Aoi and Deidara. The girl looked like she was in shock; she was staring at the floor. His partner looked the same. Sasori gently grabbed the brunette's hand, and she smiled at him.

"I'm going to take a walk, un," the bomber whispered. "There are too many people here."

Remembering what the bomber attempted to do the week before, Sasori was very hesitant about letting him wander around unsupervised.

"I'm not going to do anything; I just need some fresh air, un," Deidara persisted.

"Fine." The puppeteer believed that the blonde was being truthful. "Just be back in a couple hours. And use a henge when you're around people!"

The Iwa-nin merely grunted and walked out of the room.

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Deidara wasn't lying when he told Sasori that he needed to leave the room; the fresh air was making him feel better. The nightmare that he had before Naruto and Sakura had joined them was horrible. He really couldn't recall any of it; he just remembered waking up feeling terrified and violated. _It probably had something to do with Kuroi._

The blonde inwardly shuddered and continued walking. Since he was taking the trail in back of the Kazekage's tower—a place where no one ever walked—he didn't transform into someone else. He thought he heard footsteps, but when he looked backwards, he saw no one. He shrugged and continued walking.

As the sun started to set, he decided that he was gone long enough. He turned around to walk back to the tower, only to literally bump into someone.

"I'm sorry, un." When he looked up at the person, his eyes widened. "You? Why the hell are you here?"

"I thought you could use my help, Deidara-san."

The blonde narrowed his eyes, staring into the gray ones of Uchiha Itachi.

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Itachi knew something was wrong when he looked into Deidara's eyes. They were lifeless and filled with pain. _And fear. What happened to him? _

He grabbed the younger man's hand, not caring that the mouth on it licked him. "What happened to you, Deidara-san?"

"None of your business, Uchiha, un!" The blonde ripped his hand away from the raven-haired man's grasp.

Tired of always being treated like this, Itachi grabbed the Iwa-nin's shoulder.

This caused Deidara to stop moving, his body tensing up. "What more do you want, Itachi, un?" he asked tiredly. "You already took my freedom away from me; that can't be returned. Plus, you violated my mind countless times without my permission. I think my mind is permanently vulnerable to genjutsu because of that, though I tried my hardest to resist it." This was muttered.

All of a sudden, the Uchiha felt extremely guilty. It did occur to him that the bomber's mind could be weakened by the constant exposure to the Sharingan, but he looked into his memories anyways. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Itachi was alarmed at how cold the blonde's voice had become. "People have done worse things to me, un. Believe me."

"Deidara, I—"

The younger man held up his hand. "Just shut up!" he yelled. "I know you're dying to look into my head so you can try to 'fix' me, un! Go ahead; look all you want. I don't give a damn anymore!" With that, he dropped to the ground, wrapping his arms around himself.

The raven-haired man kneeled down, gently grabbing Deidara's chin. "Are you sure about this?"

"Whatever."

Itachi took that as a 'yes'. Slightly nodding his head, he activated his Sharingan and looked directly into the blonde's visible eye. _What happened to you, Deidara? Why are you acting like this? _he mentally shouted. In an instant, he was pulled into a memory.

He first saw a young, eight-year-old Deidara waiting to be adopted. He smiled when he saw the boy's face light up when he realized that he was leaving the orphanage. However, the smile slipped off Itachi's face when the child's adoptive father, named Kuroi, threw him against the wall and beat him senseless.

The memory changed, and the Uchiha realized that three years had passed. He grew nauseous as he witnessed the blonde being tortured by the jounin. With every pained whimper, Itachi winced. He knew that barely a second went by in reality, but the memory felt like it lasted six hours. By the time Deidara was thrown in his room, the older man wanted to bite his lip, to scream, but he found that he couldn't; he was numb.

The next memory was a repeat of the one that he had seen the first time he looked into the bomber's mind, but it was worse this time around, knowing how much the child suffered before this moment.

Finally, the memory shifted. Even before Kuroi entered the eerily all-white interrogation room, Itachi knew that this one was different, more evil, than the others.

When Kuroi walked through the door, locking it behind him, the Uchiha's stomach clenched. He could sense Deidara's fear, and suspected that this was the memory that had truly broken him.

This suspicion was unfortunately proven true when the black-haired man removed the young blonde's clothes.

_No, _Itachi thought, his heart speeding up. _Not this; this can't be happening to him!_

As the jounin entered the blonde, causing him to scream, the Uchiha lost it. He ran at the man, trying to do anything that would stop him from hurting the child further. He was confused when his fists passed through Kuroi's face until he realized that none of this was happening at the moment.

His eyes burning, he looked down at the ground, trying to block out Deidara's tortured screams. That's when he noticed the blood on the floor, contrasting against the white tile. He retraced the path of the crimson liquid, getting even sicker when he realized where it originated from.

_He was just a child! Why did this happen to him? _Itachi felt guilty once more for ever thinking his childhood was the worst. Fugaku may have beaten the elder Uchiha child several times whenever he didn't meet his expectations, but he would never do _this _to him.

The raven-haired man tore his gaze from the blood on the floor and found himself looking at Kuroi. Anger like he never felt before flowed through him when he saw the look of pure pleasure on the black-haired man's face.

After what seemed to be an eternity, the door was broken down, and an old man Itachi recognized as the Sandaime Tsuchikage pulled Kuroi from Deidara. He cried out as he fell to the floor, and the Uchiha wanted nothing more than to comfort the broken child, to protect him from all the dangers of the world.

He narrowed his eyes when the Tsuchikage sent one of his comrades to block the blonde's memory of the ordeal. The last thing he saw before he was pulled from the bomber's mind was him falling unconscious.

Itachi blinked, and he found himself back in Suna. Deidara was sitting in front of him, barely conscious.

"You're crying, Itachi, un," stated the Iwa-nin.

That's when the Uchiha felt the wetness on his face. He brought a hand to his cheek and realized that he had been indeed crying. He wanted to stop; he knew it was wrong for a shinobi—especially an Uchiha—to cry. But he couldn't. Deidara's screams kept echoing in his mind, over and over again, until he couldn't take it anymore.

Without thinking, he grabbed the younger man and pulled him close to him, crying into his shirt. "I am so sorry, Deidara. I never knew…"

"Of course you never knew, Uchiha," the blonde said, his voice low. "_I_ never knew until last week! The block on the memory must have worn off, un."

The raven-haired man nodded, removing his face from the bomber's shirt. He leaned in and quickly kissed him. "I never want you to go through anything like that again! I'll protect you."

"Uchiha." Deidara's visible eye widened. "Thank you, un." With that, he kissed the older man back, wrapping his arms around him.

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And that's the end of Chapter Forty-Three! This chapter was so hard to write because I couldn't figure out how to introduce Naruto to Sasori and Deidara without Jiraiya knowing that they're with the Akatsuki. I know my solution for that was stupid, but I couldn't think of anything else.

…I've wanted to write that part with Naruto performing his 'sexy-jutsu' for Sasori, Deidara, and Aoi for a long time, XD. I hope it was funny.

I hope Itachi wasn't too OOC. He was very emotional in this chapter, but that's because he basically witnessed all of Deidara's horrible childhood experiences in a row.

Yay, Ita/Dei! They are officially a couple now, :D .

I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter!


	45. Chapter 44: The Illusion of Perfection

Welcome to Chapter Forty-Four! This might seem like a filler chapter, but I've been wanting to write this for awhile now.

This chapter will be mostly about Itachi and Deidara learning more about each other. It will focus on Itachi and Deidara.

Many thanks go to everyone who reviewed! You all are awesome!

*Warning: this chapter contains violence* (For once, it has nothing to do with Deidara, XD).

I don't own Naruto.

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Chapter Forty-Four: The Illusion of Perfection

Itachi kept his arms wrapped around Deidara, pulling the blonde close to him. He rubbed the younger man's shoulders when tears slipped down his face.

"I'm trying so hard to get better," he murmured. "But nothing is changing." He stared at the Uchiha, the pain obvious in his visible eye. "Can you make it stop, un?"

The raven-haired man could; blocking memories wasn't difficult with his level of ocular abilities, but he wouldn't. The bomber's memories, though painful, made him who he was currently, and more importantly, Itachi didn't want to toy with his mind further.

"I'm sorry, Deidara; I cannot," he finally said.

The Iwa-nin narrowed his visible eye, almost as though he knew Itachi was lying, but said nothing, instead resting his head on the older man's shoulder. The Uchiha stroked his hair, suddenly overtaken by pangs of guilt. _Should I really force him to endure this? _He blinked, staring grimly at the setting sun. _No, I can't block his memories; I have poked around in his mind enough._

To distract Deidara, and himself, from thinking painful thoughts, he asked the blonde the only question he could think of at the moment. "Why do you keep your hair so long?"

The younger man pulled away from Itachi's embrace, running his fingers through his hair. "My mother," he finally answered. "She said I had such beautiful hair, un. When she was killed, I kept it like this as sort of a tribute to her."

The raven-haired man's eyes opened in surprise. The Iwa-nin sounded so caring, so _gentle, _when he gave his answer. Itachi had never heard him speak in this manner before. It saddened him whenever he thought of how much the blonde was mistreated, how much he suffered. _He deserved a better life._

He was broken out of his thoughts when Deidara continued to speak. "Do you want to see a picture of her, un?" he asked, almost shyly.

Itachi nodded.

The bomber smiled and pulled a picture out of a pocket on his shirt. In the photograph were three people: an orange-haired man with gray-blue eyes and a happy smile, a pretty woman with long, golden-blonde hair and green eyes, and finally, a smiling child with the woman's hair and the man's eyes.

"Those were your parents." This wasn't a question.

Deidara nodded, gently folding up the photo and putting it back into his pocket. "The week after the picture was taken, some thieves broke into our house. They killed my parents, but spared me. They thought I was a girl, and were planning on selling me to a brothel, un."

Itachi wrinkled his nose in disgust for what the men did. "What happened? When I looked into your memories, you were living at an orphanage."

"One of the idiots couldn't keep his hands off of me, un. He figured out pretty quickly that I wasn't female." He hollowly laughed. "Once he discovered this, they beat me senseless and left me to die in an alleyway. When I woke up, I was inside the orphanage."

The Uchiha clenched his fists while he was listening to the story. His blood boiled when he thought of the thieves lustily grabbing at the blonde—_his _blonde—in places that should never be touched without consent.

"How did you do it, Deidara?" Itachi asked.

"Do what, un?" The Iwa-nin tilted his head in confusion.

"How did you act so cheerful?" the raven-haired man clarified. "Even before you remembered that Kuroi ra—hurt—you, you suffered so much."

The blonde narrowed his visible eye. "I thought _you _of all people would realize, Uchiha, that it was all an act, un."

That was like a slap in the face to the older man. When he thought about it, he _did _notice that the bomber seemed to be faking a lot of his cockiness and almost manic enthusiasm, but at the time, he couldn't have cared less.

After a moment, Deidara's expression softened. "My life wasn't all bad though." A blush started to creep up his face. "Would you like to see a happy memory, un?"

Itachi nodded, despite the fact that he didn't want to use his Sharingan on the Iwa-nin any more. He gently grabbed the younger man's chin, causing him to blush further. "Ready?" the raven-haired man softly asked. Deidara only nodded.

Itachi activated his Sharingan and easily slipped into the memory.

"_Happy twelfth birthday, Deidara!" the Sandaime Tsuchikage exclaimed, patting the child on the back._

_"Thank you, Onoki-sensei!" replied the blonde, smiling._

_The old man gave the boy a wrapped box, and his eyes lit up. "You look like you've never gotten a birthday present before!" he joked._

_Deidara turned to look at his mentor, the smile falling off his face. "I've gotten presents, all right. Last year's was being tortured for six hours, and then being forced to go to school the next day, un." His voice cracked at the last part of the sentence, and tears started to drip down his face. _

_Onoki looked at the boy, a look of surprise, and then sadness, appearing on his face. "I'm sorry, Deidara. I completely forgot. How could I forget? Especially after…" The last sentence was muttered._

_The blonde walked over to the old man, hesitantly wrapping his arms around him. The Tsuchikage was surprised, but wrapped his own arms around the child. _

_"It's okay," he murmured. "He won't hurt you again. He's locked up forever, Deidara."_

_After a moment, the boy's crying subsided, and he pulled away from his mentor's embrace, wiping the tears off his face and smiling. "Thanks, sensei, un." _

_He then picked up the gift that he had placed on the ground and opened it. Gasping in surprise, he removed a set of acrylic paints and brushes from the box. "Sensei, you know I'm a sculptor, un."_

_"I thought you'd like to try a different medium, for once."_

_The smile on the blonde's face couldn't be bigger. "I've never painted before, but I bet it would be fun! Maybe I could blow my paintings up with my sculptures, un! Yeah! That's a great idea, since true art is a bang after all!" That's when he realized something. "What am I supposed to paint on? I can't just splatter it all over the walls! Hmm, or could I?"_

_Onoki held up a hand. "No! There will be no painting on my walls! Your canvases are inside the house. And be sure to paint outside; I don't want any of my furniture ruined!"_

_"Yeah, yeah, I know, un. No painting in the house." The boy waved his own hand at the Tsuchikage as he happily skipped back to the house, eager to start painting._

Once the memory faded, Itachi found himself staring at a fully-grown Deidara, smiling. Said blonde also had a grin on his face. "Told you my life wasn't all horrible, un. I bet that memory rivaled your perfect life."

As soon as this was said, the smile evaporated off of the Uchiha's face. "You thought my life was perfect?"

"Yeah, you Uchihas lived the life of luxury. Why do you think I hated you so much, un? Well, besides the fact that you forced me into the Akatsuki, of course."

"Deidara, my life was far from perfect," stated the raven-haired man.

"But you were a prodigy, un! You must have been praised every single day of your life!"

"Being called a genius didn't make my life any easier." Itachi's eyes snapped open when he thought of an idea. "Do you want to see one of _my _memories?"

"You can do that, un?" Deidara asked, fascinated.

"Hn. Just grab my hands and look into my eyes, and I will let you enter my mind."

The younger man nodded and did what he was told. The raven-haired man closed his eyes, thinking of the memory he wanted to show the blonde. After that, he reopened them, activating his Sharingan once more.

00000

Deidara's stomach flipped in anticipation. No matter how much he tried to deny it, he was extremely curious of Itachi's past. His vision went blurry as he stared into the older man's eyes, and he felt like he was being pulled closer to the Uchiha.

"_What is this?" A tall, dark brown-haired man shook a piece of paper at a young Itachi._

_"It's my report card," the child stated quietly, looking down._

_"And what grade did you get in your Strength class?"_

_"A B+," said Itachi, continuing to look down._

_"A B+!" roared the man, throwing the paper to the ground. "That isn't good enough, Itachi! You're supposed to be the prodigy of the Uchiha clan!"_

_"I got the highest marks in everything else, Outosan; I only missed the A in Strength by one point!"_

_"That one point cost you the top grade!" as he said this, Itachi's father harshly punched him in the stomach, causing the child to fall to the floor._

_"You are supposed to be the best there is! You're supposed to be a genius! A B+? What the hell is wrong with you?"_

_With every sentence, the man kicked Itachi in the stomach, each time harder than the last. _

_The raven-haired child did nothing, letting the kicks hit him with full force. He didn't make a sound, save one, barely-audible whimper after the last kick. He shakily rose to his knees and vomited, his arms tightly wrapped around his now-bruised stomach._

_"You see what you did? You're going to clean that up right now, before I make you eat it!"_

_Itachi bowed his head, removing his shirt and using it to clean up the vomit. He placed the soiled shirt outside the door. He was about to leave when his father grabbed him by his ponytail, pulling him back into the room and slamming the door behind him._

_"I'm not finished with you yet," he snarled, rage evident on his face._

_The raven-haired boy stood still as the man grabbed the lamp off of a table and slammed it onto his back._

_This time, he softly screamed as the lampshade tore on impact, scratching his skin, and the light bulb shattered, the glass embedding itself in his flesh. He curled up into a ball on the floor as he was repeatedly hit with the metal part of the lamp. When he couldn't take the pain anymore, he let a tear trickle down his face. _

_After awhile, the blows stopped, and the man hoisted him to his feet, roughly pulling the splinters of glass from his back. After hastily bandaging up the cuts, he threw a shirt at the boy, who silently put it on. Since all the bruises covered his back, stomach, and thighs, they were invisible when he was fully clothed. _

_The man smiled at this, and pulled Itachi by his wrist to the door. He opened it and harshly pushed the boy out of the room. _

_"Next time," he snarled, "try not to make a mockery of the Uchiha name!" With that, he slammed the door._

_Itachi quickly walked to his room, quietly closing the door behind him. He ran to his bed and slid onto it, wrapping his arms around himself. At this point, he let the tears fall freely, albeit silently._

Suddenly, Deidara felt himself being pulled once more, this time away from Itachi. He blinked, and when he opened his eyes, he found himself back in Suna.

"I-Itachi, un?" he stuttered, sickened by what he just witnessed. "How old were you?"

"Seven."

"You were at Konoha's Academy at age seven, un?" the blonde was impressed.

"I actually graduated two months later, with the top marks in every class."

"Obviously," replied the bomber. "If you didn't, that bastard would have hurt you again, un!"

"Don't speak of my father that way!" Itachi yelled, grabbing onto Deidara's wrist.

The Iwa-nin flinched at the tight grip, but didn't back down. "I don't care if he was the _Hokage _for Kami's sake! What he did wasn't right, un!"

"Please, just stop, Deidara." For once, the Uchiha sounded exhausted. "He was my father, part of my family. I could never despise him."

But the blonde wouldn't stop. "What would get you to hate him then, huh? If he beat you to an inch of your life? If he tortured you for hours? If he _raped _you? Would you want to kill him then?"

Deidara realized that he had gone too far. He did nothing when Itachi slapped him as hard as he could.

"Don't ever talk to me like that again. You hear me, Deidara?" The raven-haired man's voice was, for once, threatening. He grabbed the younger man's throat and looked into his eyes, smirking as the blonde gasped for air.

Suddenly, Deidara was dropped onto the sand. He looked at Itachi, and saw nothing but horror in his eyes.

00000

Itachi realized too late what he had just done. "Deidara, I'm so sorry!"

As soon as he took a step towards him, the blonde turned away, pushing himself as far from the raven-haired man as possible.

"I didn't mean to hurt you, Dei, please believe me." The Uchiha was disgusted at his actions; he had never lost control like that before.

As soon as he placed a hand on the Iwa-nin's shoulders, he flinched. He turned to look at Itachi, his visible eye wide. "Please don't hurt me, un. I'm sorry for making that comment. That was out-of-line."

Gently rubbing the newly-formed bruises on Deidara's neck, the raven-haired man was sickened. "No. You did nothing wrong, Dei. _I _was the one who was out-of-line. I had no excuse to hurt you, none at all."

He pulled the blonde closer and softly kissed the red mark on his cheek. "You didn't deserve that; not after what you've gone through this week."

The bomber allowed Itachi to wrap his arms around him and kiss his lips.

"I was just so angry, Deidara," the Uchiha said. "Not at you, but at myself. I just keep thinking of his face when I killed him. He told me he was sorry, and that he was wrong. I couldn't hate him after that. I just couldn't." With that, the stoic Uchiha Itachi broke down crying.

He felt something wet—besides his tears—on his face, and realized that Deidara's palm-mouths were licking the salty liquid as it fell from his eyes. The blonde then cupped the older man's face in his hands and kissed him once more.

When they pulled away, the Iwa-nin pulled Itachi onto his lap and rubbed his shoulders. After awhile, the rhythmic motion caused the Uchiha to fall asleep.

The last thing the raven-haired man noticed before giving into unconsciousness was Deidara putting him on the ground and laying next to him, wrapping his arms around him.

00000

And that's the end of Chapter Forty-Four! I know it was a filler, but I wanted Itachi and Deidara to get to know each other more.

I know Itachi's father's name is Fugaku, but since Deidara was the one witnessing the memory, he obviously didn't know that. That's why he was referred to as 'the man' in this chapter.

The reason why Itachi doesn't fight back is because he didn't want to disrespect Fugaku further. Plus, he's a pacifist.

Itachi's weakest class is 'Strength' because according to his stats on Narutopedia, strength is one of his weakest points (second only to stamina).

Hopefully, Itachi wasn't too OOC, even though he was showing a lot of emotions in this chapter.

I wanted Deidara to seem stronger in the last part of the chapter; that is why I made him take care of Itachi at the end. It was also supposed to mirror the first scene in this chapter.

I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter!


	46. AUTHOR'S NOTE

**Author's Note**

**I'm sorry, but I will not be continuing this story. (At least not for awhile.) I have lost interest in Naruto, and have no more motivation to write this story. I will not stop writing; I will continue to write oneshots, but for Hetalia and Death Note. **


	47. I'M BACK

**Hello! It's been awhile since I've updated, but I'm happy to say that I've gotten back into Naruto! (Well, mostly the Akatsuki, but still, XDD.) **

**I'm happy to say that I will continue this story, but first, I will be re-working a lot of the old chapters. The plot deviated from the original storyline I intended it to have, so I will be fixing it. **

**I just have a few questions for those people still interested in the story:**

**1. Do you like Aoi's name, or should I change it? For some reason, I feel like changing it, XD. (However, then I'd have to fix it in every chapter, which would be tedious…)**

**2. What should I do about the whole 'Tobi' situation? I feel that I should rework his 'true' character into the story, since Madara is just another alias of his. **

**3. Should I change the part where Aoi meets Sasuke? (I'm definitely going to redo that scene, but I wasn't sure if I should change the final outcome of it. [Especially since Naruto and Sakura get introduced later in the story.]) **

**Now, here's a heads-up for some major edits:**

**The romance in the story will progress even slower than before. (Especially since Sasori is so solitary.)**

**I will rework my portrayal of Deidara's character to make him less moe. (Ugh, my version of him annoys me when I re-read it, XD.)**

**Speaking of Dei, I will also change his backstory. He will be beaten and mistreated by his adoptive father, but nothing more.  
Same goes for the part with Orochimaru. I will rework that entire subplot so that he's not obsessed with Deidara romantically. (Instead, there will be scientific experimentation, since I feel like that is more in-character.)**

**I will also fix my portrayal of Pein, since it's bugging me, too, XD. **

**I'd love to hear your thoughts on these changes, or just chat in general, so please feel free to review and/or send me a PM. **

**If anyone is still interested in this story, thanks for sticking with it; I hope this new version will be worth the wait, XDD. **


	48. LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE

**This is the last author's note for this story. I have begun posting the edited chapters in a story called 'Changing Destiny: Rewrite', so anyone who wants to continue following the story should read that one. All edited chapters will be added to that story, as well as future chapters. I just wanted to let you all know that I will no longer be posting chapters on this version of the story. I hope you all enjoy the rewrite~**


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